Temna
by cadenceheart117
Summary: In the land of legends and mysteries, many people have stories. Abandoned as an egg, I struggled to live for my own. My name is Temna, and this is my story. (Rated M for some use of language, plenty of violence, and probably the occasional lemon every few chapters.)
1. Days gone by

T **his fanfiction is based off of an O.C.** **I made for a friends story. His name is Aurumn48, so please, feel free to check out his side of the story ( _A Legend's Beginning)_ , as my character only made an appearance in the latest chapter. My story will roughly revolve around his, so if you don't understand ****certain parts, it may require you to read his story to understand. Big shoutout to my friends Wickedhex ( _Twins of Discord)_ , Nathan (He writes, but doesn't post, unfortunately), and Toxic Machamp ( _That Sylveon's Cruel Beginnings)._ Aurumn and these three all inspired me to write this. Without further ado, on with the story!**

-!-

Most pokemon don't have the privilege of remembering all of their life. Most pokemon can only remember back to maybe four or five years old, and know everything they've learned instinctively. But I was different. I remember my hatching.

-!-

My egg fell over and I crawled around blindly for a few seconds before I felt someone pick me up and rub a cloth over my eyes. I looked up and saw what I knew was a human, but how I knew, I have no clue. At first I was a little scared, but the look in his eyes, as well as the way he was holding me let me know that he wasn't going to hurt me.

Pretty soon I grew tired and snuggled deeper into his grasp. He chuckled lightly and said, "Well you're a cute little guy, aren't you?" I just looked up at him and yawned. "Heh, yeah, I'd be a little tired too, after all that struggle with your egg. Well come on. I have a nice little bed in the back for you", he said, picking me up.

He carried me down a small hall to a cloth covered entrance. He parted it, and when I looked inside, I saw a small room with a bed of straw and some cloth over it. There was a smaller bed beside it made of the same material, so I assumed that one was for me. He set me on the smaller bed, which i quickly started moving around in to look around me. Aside from the two beds, the only other things in the room was a small table with a gas lamp on it. There was a small squared-off window, outside of which were trees, a few bushes, and a fair bit of snow.

The human grunted and sat down on the larger cloth bed beside me. "I'm going to go ahead and tell you, because I don't want to hurt you later on in life," he said. "I'm not your father, I found your egg a few days ago. Someone had left it in a basket on my doorstep."

When I heard this, I was pretty sad. Why would someone abandon me? I hadn't done anything wrong. He seemed to notice that I was sad, so he picked me back up, set me on his lap, and started petting me behind my ears. I really liked it, so I started gently pushing my head into his hand. He kept at it, and slightly tilted his head down, probably thinking about something.

"You know, I could be your father. If you want me to, that is," he said. "I never had-", but I didn't let him finish as I leapt up towards his chest. He was knocked over onto his back as I started nuzzling into him. "Papa! Papa!", is all I said, over and over again. When I think on it, I couldn't really help it at the time. I was overjoyed beyond belief.

He moved me off of his chest and chuckled lightly as he sat back up. Grinning, he said, "I'll take that as a yes then. Heh, looks like you aren't that tired anymore." "Nope!", I replied grinning. "I'm too happy to be tired!"

"Well then, Mr. "'Too happy to be tired'". Would you like to see the rest of the place? There isn't much, but it is home." When I nodded my head yes, he stood up and motioned for me to follow him. We walked out of the bedroom and I followed him through the hall into the "common room", as he called it.

I saw the remnants of my egg laying in a small basket filled with straw. The rather small egg was on its side, its flawless brown and tan exterior ruined by the missing top section. It was sitting in front of a small stone hearth, the last few embers of a dying fire still burning away. I don't know why, but to this day, the memory of that fireplace has stuck with me. He had a small wooden thing with strings, which I later learned was a violin, resting in a rather comfortable looking rocking chair. Beside that was a decently sized table, on top of which were several books of all shapes and sizes.

After some looking around, he led me into another room, this one he called his "kitchen". This room didn't have much in it, mostly various vegetables and different berries. He saw me looking at the berries and smiled.

"Here, try this. It's a cheri berry." He placed the small red berry in front of me and I nosed it gently, smelling it slightly before I picked it up in my maw. I bit into the berry, and immediately I fell in love with the taste of it. The flavor, while not exactly sweet, left a wonderful warm, tingly feeling in my mouth that I found rather pleasant.

"This tastes pretty good. I like it!" Papa, because that's what I considered him at that point, smiled at the obvious delight showing on my face.

He picked me up and started rubbing between my front shoulder blades. "I think that that is about it. Well, except for the storage closet. But you probably don't want to see that." To his surprise, I was rapidly nodding my head. I wanted to know everything about the place I would be staying the rest of my life.

"... Alright then.", he said, walking over to a small door I hadn't noticed before. It seemingly blended in with the rest of the wall, so it probably could have gone unnoticed by someone who wasn't looking for it. This door was different from others. It seemed to slide to the side instead of opening like many I've seen.

When I looked inside, I saw some kind of hard covering. It was shaped a little bit like Papa, so I automatically assumed it was his. I touched it, but immediately drew my hand back. It was cold and extremely hard, whatever it is, but it definitely wasn't cloth.

I looked up at Papa questioningly. "What's this Papa?", I asked. He picked up some kind of headpiece and said, "This is my old armor. A long time ago, I used to work as a mercenary. A mercenary is a person or pokemon who works to protect others, fight in battles, or if necessary, kill a target. I fought in many battles, and I've killed many people, but that is in the past."

"I retired after I was sent to kill a man named Wolfe. Despite my skill with a sword, he bested me. For some reason, he decided to spare my life. I'll never know why, but I will always be grateful. Now I'm just an old man who lives by himself in the mountains."

I nuzzled into him, trying to comfort him since he seemed sad. At this action, he smiled. "Well I guess that last part is no longer true. Would you like to look around outside? It will be a little cold, but since you're an Eevee, you should be alright."

I looked up at him, a little confused as to what he just called me. "Eevee? What's that?", I asked. Papa laughed aloud. "Why you of course. You are a pokemon!"

"Pokemon? But you just said that I'm an Eevee." Papa chuckled, saying "An Eevee is a type of pokemon. One of many in the world." "There are more?! When can I meet them?!" I exclaimed excitedly.

"Whoa, one step at a time! I know that you are a curious little fellow, but you just hatched today. You have to rest at least tonight before I introduce you to anyone.", he said, rubbing at my head again. I blushed at his words. I knew I was curious, but I suppose it was in my nature at the time. "Yeah, I guess I am. That's not a bad thing is it?" he asked.

By this time we had made it back into the living room, and Papa was pulling on his boots so we could head outside. "Well I suppose it isn't, but sometimes asking too many questions can get you put into situations you don't want to be in. Do you understand, little one?"

I nodded my head yes. "I understand Papa. I'll try to learn more by watching, rather than asking."

He smiled. "Good! Now, as for you meeting other pokemon, we are running a little low on food supplies. Tomorrow you and I will be making a run into Daric. Daric is the closest town with an open market, so we will need to restock there. You are too young to be home alone, so you will be coming with me there. I think you will like Audrina. She's the pokemon I get my berry supplies from, as well as the occasional linoone. Along with her, you can meet several pokemon there. The only problem is that it's a full day's trip there. Are you willing to walk back at night? I will be carrying the supplies, and I don't know if I can afford an inn." I smiled confidently at him and said, "With you Papa, I could handle anything!" Papa laughed again. "I'm sure you could. For now, let's focus on exploring outside for a bit."

He opened the large door to our cottage, but stopped me before I could bound out into the snow. I looked up at him, a little confused as to why he stopped me, when I noticed a little grin on his face.

"Why did you stop me?" I asked. "Because there is only one way through the snow that falls in the Doxah mountain range," he said, picking me up. The way he was holding me was a little weird, but at the time, I didn't think to question it. Arceus, do I wish I had. "And what is that?" I asked. "By getting put into the middle of it all!" he exclaimed. At that, Papa threw me outwards into the snow, and with a slight 'poof' sound, I vanished from sight.

Papa was right about one thing. Had I run straight out into the snow, I would not have been ready. I would have turned around and run straight back into the cottage. Yes, snow? It's cold.

Once I got over the initial shock, I started pawing around in the snow, trying to find my way back to the warmth of the cottage. Unfortunately for me, fate had other plans. On my first try, I came out on the edge of the woods opposite the cottage. When I looked back, I could see Papa sitting in the doorway, with his hand over his mouth. He was obviously trying his hardest not to laugh.

I huffed. "It's not that funny." I took one step back into the snow and sank in with a loud 'oof!' Papa completely lost it, rolling on the ground as he shook with laughter. I growled, more than a little miffed at the fact that Papa was laughing at me when he was the one who got me into the little mess. Then I got a devious idea of my own.

Quietly digging, I slowly made my way back to the cottage through the snow. I made sure my body was covered in the stuff as I went. When I finally was out of it, I looked at Papa again. He wasn't laughing anymore, but he was still on his back panting, trying to get his breath back. Perfect. I crouched down, took a running leap, and landed on his chest. He looked down at me, smiling until he saw all the snow built up on my fur. "Oh sh-," was all he got out before I started shaking.

When I finally stopped, Papa's entire upper half was covered in bits of snow. I giggled, and flicked a little bit of snow off of my tail into his boot. The little shiver he gave because of it satisfied me greatly. I stepped off of his chest and tapped his nose as I passed him, walking back into the living room.

Papa sat up with a start and stepped back inside. Normally he would have left the door open, but it was getting dark outside, and the mountains had a habit of getting chilly at night. He put some logs and tinder in the hearth, lit it, and turned to me. "Is there anything you'd like for dinner tonight, little Eevee?"

I thought for a moment. "Can I try a new kind of berry Papa?" I asked. "Sure, but all I have right now is Oran and Pecha berries. You ate the last of the cheri berries earlier." I giggled. "Oops. Sorry papa. I guess I was just hungry." Papa rubbed my head and said, "It's alright little one. Food won't really be a problem. If worse comes to worse, I can always forage and hunt for food. Now. Which berry would you like?" I thought for a moment and pointed to the pechas. "Can I have a couple of the pecha berries?"

Papa placed a small bowl filled with some rather plump, pink pecha berries in front me. These berries, once I bit into them, left a very sweet flavor in my mouth that exploded across my tongue. "This is delicious!" I exclaimed, popping another one of the berries into my mouth. "I'm glad you think so. Personally, I prefer a little spice, like the cheri berry you had earlier."

I looked up at him. "That was supposed to be spicy? It tasted a little sweet to me. Left a slight tingly feeling in my mouth, though." Papa laughed again. "That was probably the spice! Haha, I never thought I'd meet a person or pokemon that thinks a cheri berry is sweet! I guess I should tell you now that I gave it to you as a prank."

I very nearly deadpanned when he told me this. "You did? Well, it wasn't very effective…" "I can tell!" he replied. " I don't know if you've figured it out yet, but I do love to play pranks every now and then."

"Oh, I figured it out alright. If you throwing me into the snow earlier wasn't clue enough, the fact that you laughed at me when I got turned around and came out on the wrong side sure was.""I couldn't help it! It was funny!" I growled. "Maybe, but you could have helped me by coming out there to pull me out of the snow."

I had finished my pecha berries by then, and Papa had put his and my dishes on the counter. He stood there for a few minutes, cleaning out our few dishes with a wet cloth. When he was done, he dried his hands and picked me up.

"Oh Eevee. Poor, sweet little Eevee. Now where is the fun in that? Come on little one. Let's relax for a little bit. I might play a song for you later on." At that, he walked into the living room and set me in front of the hearth.

Papa moved the rocking chair over beside me and sat in it himself. We must have laid there for more than an hour, listening to the crackling of the fire as it warmed our skin.

Eventually, I let out a long yawn and stood up, stretching my legs out as I walked over to papa. "Papa?" I called. "Yes, little one?" "Thank you for being willing to take care of me. I know you didn't have to, but you did anyway because you care for me. So thank you." He smiled happily and pulled me up into his lap. "It's no trouble little one. I've always had a soft spot for pokemon. They have saved my life many times, occasionally giving up their own in turn. It's those pokemons' bravery that I am forever grateful for."

I hugged up closer to him. "Pokemon must be really nice." "Most actually are. But make no mistake. The world has its fair share of bad pokemon too. Now, I believe I mentioned a song?"

He held up his violin for me to inspect. I admired it, loving the look of the pine wood that made it up. It accented the shiny, metallic color of the strings perfectly. When he played the first note of the short but sweet song, my eyes grew starry with delight. How could something so small make such a beautiful sound, I wondered. About halfway through the song, I grew still, not really breathing as much as listening to the sound of the music as papa played it through.

When the song was over, I cuddled deeper into his lap. "That was wonderful Papa." I said, yawning. Papa let out a little yawn himself. "I'm glad you think so little one. My own Papa taught me how to play. It is a skill not easily forgotten." "Could you play another?" I asked. I wanted to hear at least one more song before the night was over. "Maybe later, tomorrow evening perhaps. For now, it is time for bed. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow, and we'll have to set out early. Who knows? We might run into Elisia."

"Who is that Papa?" I asked. This was the first time he had mentioned another person or pokemon, so I was more than a little curious. "Elisia… well, she's a lot of things. I guess she could be considered a wild pokemon, since she lives in the forest. She likes to venture into town a lot though. Always spontaneous, that one. She visits me sometimes at night, often calling me her only real friend. Though I suspect that that will change when she meets you. She loves playing with pups, especially considering her own… difficulties. But that's not for me to talk about. She may tell you sometime."

"She sounds… interesting. I don't think I would mind meeting her." "That's the spirit little one. Now come on. It's off to bed for us."

Papa stood up from the rocking chair and headed back to our bedroom, with me close on his heels. He parted the cloth opening for me to walk through, and I climbed into my bed. I curled up into a small, furry ball, and I closed my eyes. Papa walked over to me and laid a blanket on top of me. "Good night, Eevee. My son."

He laid down on his own bed, minus a blanket since he had just given it to me. He shivered slightly, but was then still as he fell deeper into sleep. A little while later, I woke up to a light snoring. I looked up to see papa on his back with his hand over his chest. When I realized he had no blanket, I immediately stood up and dragged the blanket over to him. I carefully laid the blanket back over him, nosed his hand off to the side, and curled up on his chest.

Automatically he wrapped his arms around me, trying to get close to the source of warmth. I didn't really mind though, as I loved him, and didn't mind being a little closer. Eventually, I closed my eyes and found sleep once again.

-!-

"Wake up little Eevee. It is time to prepare for the trip to Daric." I looked up at Papa, still slightly tired, but ready to go. "Alright Papa. Just give me a moment to stretch my legs." "Okay. Make sure you stay awake now. When I was younger, someone could wake me up, and I would seem like I was alright. Not five minutes later, I would be back asleep." "Yes, papa." I said, heeding his warning as he turned around to open the door covering.

Suddenly I had a very full feeling in my lower half. "Uh, papa?" "Yes, little one?" "Could you tell me where the restroom is? I kinda have to go…" "Hehe, not a problem." He picked me up and took me outside, the both of us letting out a little shiver from the snow that had fallen while we were sleeping. He set me down in front of the tree line and simply said, "Pick a tree."

So, while I hunted to find a more… private area for me to do my business, Papa walked off to go finish preparing for our trip. He grabbed the remaining pecha and oran berries, slipped them into his satchel, and headed around towards the back of the house, where another fenced in area sat. Within the enclosement lay a sleeping Tauros, who sat up slightly when Papa stepped near him. "Good morning Jim. Sorry to bother you, because I know you don't like snowy days. But it's that time of the month again. Head on out front, and I'll go grab the cart." With that, Papa walked out of the enclosure to go get said cart. Jim, once he had stood up and stretched each of his own legs, walked out of the enclosure and stood in front of the cottage.

I came out of the woods some time later, and was more than a little surprised to see the Tauros standing there while Papa hooked a cart up to him. "Hey papa? Who is this?" He stopped working momentarily and glanced at me. "This guy? He's your source of survival. Say hello to Jim. He's a Tauros, and a pokemon, like you." "He's a pokemon too?! Cool!" I raised my paw and waved at him. "Hello Jim. How are you?" I said cheerily. I didn't even get a full response as he just snorted at me, annoyed that he had been woken up from his sleep so early in the morning.

Papa walked over and picked me up, setting me in the cart as he climbed up into it himself. "Don't be like that Jim. He's coming with us, whether you like him or not. Besides, you're probably just grumpy because I woke you up." At that, Papa snapped the leads, and we were off. I curled up in his lap again, snoozing lightly while listening to the bumpy sound of the cart wheels meeting the gravelly earth. We went to round a corner, and I looked back at the cottage. The little brown building barely stood out in the clearing, looking as if had been there forever.

A little farther down the road, papa slowed the cart down for a moment. "Why are you slowing down Papa? Don't we have to make it to Daric before nightfall?" I asked, confused as to why we were slowing. He never got the chance to respond as a slim, black figure suddenly jumped into the back of the cart next to me. It straightened up slightly before turning to Papa.

"Papa huh? Three questions: With whom, how long, and who is this?" it said in a very feminine voice. Papa smirked and pulled Jim back up to speed. "Nice to see you too Elisia. To answer your first two questions, no I am not, nor do I plan to, be in a relationship. To answer the latter, this is Eevee. We haven't really bothered with names. I found his egg about a week ago. Someone had left it on my doorstep. I couldn't really just leave him there, the poor fellow would have been killed by the cold."

Elisia let out a little giggle. "Well that's all fine and dandy Francis, but you still haven't introduced me." With that, she turned to me, a little smile on her face. Papa straightened up himself, not really surprised at her rather bouncy attitude. "Alright then. Eevee, meet Elisia. Elisia, meet Eevee. Oh, Eevee. I suppose I should also tell you that Elisia is a pokemon, like you. A houndour, to be more specific."

I grew more excited when I heard this, but I stopped myself before I could ask her a thousand different questions. Papa had warned me the night before not to ask too many questions, or I could wind up in a situation I didn't want to be in. Instead, I looked her over , taking in her features. She had black fur, and it was rather short. Because of this, she seemed rather sleek in appearance, except for the two bone-like ridges that spanned her back. Each one of her four legs had a bony ring on it near her paws. There was also a skull-like shape on her forehead, which gave her the illusion of eyebrows. All of this was accented by her reddish muzzle and underbelly.

"Ahem. Eyes up here Eevee. Staring at a girl's body is not the way to make a good first impression." Elisia said. She grinned as embarrassment showed clearly on my

face.

"Hehe, sorry if I bothered you Elisia. Papa taught me that sometimes it is better to watch people than to just ask a whole bunch of questions. He said it could keep me out of trouble."

"And he's absolutely right! Your Papa has saved my butt quite a few times, often when I had asked the wrong person or pokemon one too many questions. Why do you think I live out here?" She shook her head, laid down beside me, and closed her eyes. "You would be wise to listen to any "lessons" your Papa may teach you. Who knows? It may save your life one day."

We continued talking for the next few hours and pretty soon, time seemed to not be an issue. Elisia grew tired later on and laid down in the back, snoozing the last leg of our journey away. Around mid afternoon, we went over another hill and I smiled when I saw a large group of buildings in the distance. I hopped up beside Papa and nudged him. "Papa? Is that Daric?" I asked, pointing a paw towards the building.

"Indeed it is, little Eevee. I think you will like it. A lot of the people and pokemon there are pretty friendly. If we have any time left, I'll introduce you to some of my old friends. But our first stop is the market. We have to gather our supplies." He continued telling me different details about the small town as we neared it; how it thrived on its mining industry, the main composition of the pokemon there (mostly dark and ice types), and many other things.

Not long after that, we reached the town, and I hopped into the the back of the cart to wake up Elisia. I nudged her side gently."Elisia? We're here." She rolled over onto her other side and covered her face with her paws. "Five more minutes…" She moaned out.

I laughed at the funny sight, saying "Hihi, nope! You've got to get up! Papa said the market is up ahead, so me and you need to get out of the cart so the food can be placed in it."

"Ugh, Fine. Give me a second." She stood up, stretched her legs out, and hopped up into the front of the cart in Papa. She nudged his arm to get his attention, and he turned to look at her.

"Well, if it isn't sleeping beauty. Have a good rest?"

"First of all, I don't even look like that sylveon. Second, I am most definitely not a princess. Third, yes I did, thanks for asking. But I have somewhere to be. An old friend is in town, and I plan to stop by his room at the inn."

Papa smiled. "Well then. It has been good to see you Elisia, but if you really have to go…" "I do. Goodbye Francis. Oh, and Eevee?" she said, turning to me. "Yes?" "Keep him straight. He may look in control right now, but he does have trouble with his past sometimes."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"...Nevermind. Just, if you ever see him crying, comfort him. Please. It's very important. Also, try and keep him away from the armor. That's the source of all the trouble. I don't know why I haven't made him get rid of it yet."

"Maybe he might need it one day." I said.

"Maybe, but let's hope that day never comes. Besides, what use is armor without a weapon? He'd never be able to defend himself, much less fight back."

I hopped up front beside Papa and pushed my way under his arm, looking back at Elisia. "Why would he need to fight back? He said he left that life behind, so why would someone attack him in the first place?"

"Many reasons, Eevee, revenge being one of them. Not many people or pokemon appreciate having members of their family killed. Anyway, I've got to go for now. Goodbye for now, little Eevee; remember what I have said."

With that, she turned around and walked away just as we pulled into the marketplace. Papa kept going until he was about halfway through the market, and he stopped the cart in front of a stand that was rather low to the ground. Pulling me into his arms, he hopped off the cart and walked over to the stand, not really looking at the different produce on it, but rather the pokemon who stood behind it. I took a moment to look her over, noting her light grey fur and the red, fan-like feathers on top of her head. She also had a yellow oval shaped mark in the center of her forehead, as well as some rather sharp looking claws.

"Well, if it isn't my old pal Audrina. How you been girl? Still stiffing your customers with your sleazy tricks?", he said.

"That's young pal to you, old man," replied Audrina, smiling. "And no, I haven't been stiffing my customers. But when you're helping feed a family of four, prices for your food will be a little high. But then you come along. With you, I don't even have to bother with raising my prices. You already buy out most of my produce."

"Hehe, that's true. Oh, that reminds me. Audrina, meet Eevee. I found his egg on my porch about a week ago on my doorstep, and I've been taking care of him ever since. Eevee, meet Audrina. She's the pokemon I mentioned yesterday. She's a weavile. She's actually only about three years older than you!"

"I bet I can guess that this time, you're actually going to buy out all of my produce. Anyways, it's nice to meet you little Eevee. Tell me, do you like Lum berries?"

I looked back at her, having been a little distracted by all the berries on her stand. "Huh? Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention. It's nice to meet you Audrina."

"Hihi, that's alright Eevee. I said, do you like lum berries?"

I tilted my head, a little confused. "What's a Lum berry?" Audrina gasped, feigning offence. "Why, it's only the best berry in the world! Here, try one. It's on the house." She handed me a berry that was about the size of my paw. It was greenish in color, and it had a smooth exterior. "Thanks!" I said, already liking her. I bit into it, and my eyes went wide at the starburst of flavor in my mouth. The flavor was… complex, to say the least. It was spicy, yet cool, sour, yet sweet.

"This tastes awesome!" I said. "I know right?" replied Audrina. "There isn't a creature alive who doesn't like them!"

"Mmm! Thanks for the berry!"

"No problem. You seem like a cool 'mon. Hey, old man, I can watch him for ya if ya want. I know you have to go through a few more stalls, shouldn't be more than an hour."

Papa turned around from the cart. The entire time Audrina and I were conversing, he was slowly moving the produce from Audrina's stand to the cart, but since the stand was rather small, he only filled up about a quarter of it. "Hmm? Oh. Well, he can, but I guess it's dependent upon what he wants. So, Eevee." he said, turning to me. "What do you want to do? Would you rather stay here with Audrina and talk while I gather the rest of our food, or would you rather come with me?"

"Hmm… I guess I'll stay here with Audrina. I have a few more questions to ask her if she doesn't mind."

Audrina smiled. "I don't. Ask all you want, little Eevee. It doesn't bother me."

"Then it's settled." Papa said. "Eevee will stay here with you while I go gather the rest of the food." He turned around, and threw a pouch over his shoulder. It landed on Audrina's stall and spilled open, revealing around 500 pieces of poke. Audrina let out a little gasp. "Hey old man, this is way more than necessary. Come get it, I don't know what I'm supposed to do with the extra."

"Share it with your siblings. You did say you have to help feed them, right?" "Well yes, but you didn't have to help me. We have a garden, so it's not really necessary." "Regardless, keep it. I have more than I'll ever need anyway. Besides, I've got more."

He reached into the cart and held up four more pouches of similar size. Then he turned to me. "I'll be back when I've used three of these up. The fourth is for an inn, because it will be too dark for us to head back at that point. I will see you in a little while, little Eevee. Try not to cause Audrina too much trouble."

With that, he hopped up into the cart, snapped the reins, and left off down the street. Audrina and I stood there waving at him until he rounded the corner, albeit a little slower because of the food. Audrina turned to the stand and started packing it up, folding the legs under the little table. She left it lying there, waiting for the next person to come use it since the stands were public property. She turned to me, saying "You got a few questions for me? Fine, but we gotta take all this money by the house first. Jeez, they're gonna think I robbed the bar down the road…"

"Why would they think that? Just tell them that Papa gave it to you."

"Papa, huh? Anyways, I know. Still, they're big on honor and all that crap. I'm not, obviously, so they wouldn't put petty theft beyond me, even if I say I wouldn't steal."

"Sounds like a mean bunch."

"Maybe, but they have their perks. Without them, I'd probably be living on the streets." "No you wouldn't. Papa and I would take you in." When I said that, she stopped and turned to me smiling. "There is just no end to your positivity is there? Hehe, I guess it's good to know I have friends like you two."

She and I continued chatting as we walked down the streets, her pointing out the different buildings and their purposes as we passed them, and me nodding along, doing my best to understand. Soon, we neared a small building with a large garden towards the rear of it. It didn't take me long to determine that this was Audrina's home, with her confirming it by pulling out a small key from the bulging satchel at her side. How she managed to fit all the coins from the pouch inside it, I'll never know.

"Bienvenue dans mon humble demeure, jeune Eevee." "Huh? What did you say?" I asked, more than a little confused at her words. "Sorry, it's something I usually say when I welcome someone into my house. I said, 'Welcome to my humble dwelling, young Eevee.' It didn't bother you, did it?"

"Nah, that was just a little confusing. It'll take a little more than that to bother me." She smiled at me, obviously a little happy that I wasn't mad at her.

"Good. Now that we're here, I believe that I should introduce you to everyone." She opened the door and walked inside, leaving it open for me to walk in after her. I knocked the door shut with a small kick just as Audrina let out a yell. "Sis! Big bro! I'm home from the market!"

From the other room came a yell equally as loud, shouting "Big bro isn't home, and I'm busy!" Audrina let out a sigh and walked into the room, flinging her bag at the source of the response. "Hey, what- *SMACK* Ow!" What was that for?!"

I walked into the room to see Audrina standing over another weavile (though this one was a little smaller than her), who was rubbing it's head. I noticed that while she looked a lot like her older sister, only one of her eyes was red. Her other was yellow, and was slitted like a snake's eye, but I didn't want to question it. Unfortunately, she chose that exact moment to notice me.

She narrowed her eyes at me, saying, "You do know staring at a girl's body is not the way to make a good first impression, right?" I blinked. Oops. "That's the second time today that I've been told that." I muttered to myself.

"Uh, sorry about that. Sometimes I look over people before I talk to them." She scoffed. "Don't worry about it. The name's Audina. Don't confuse me with Audrina, even if we're supposed to be twins. Do you have a name little Eevee?"

"Well, I go by Eevee."

She deadpanned, saying "I know that, but what's your name?" Audrina intervened at that point, saying "That is his name. He lives up on the mountain with old man Francis. He calls the old man 'Papa', and the old man calls him 'little Eevee'". "Ah. Well that makes some sense. But still, why doesn't he give you a name? Won't that get confusing?"

"Well, maybe…" I said, "But I don't see any other Eevee's around. Do you know of any?"

"No. But I do know an Umbreon that passes through town occasionally. He goes by Zero, and he's a real funny guy. The way he carries himself just oozes confidence, and there are more than a few guys and gals who like him for… other reasons. Hey hold up a second, just how old are you kid?"

I rubbed the back of my head with my paw. "Well… I just hatched yesterday, but I've been told I'm really smart for a kit." Audina let out a rather dramatic gasp. "Yesterday?! What are you doing up! You should be at home, resting."

"That's not really an option. Papa couldn't leave me home alone, but we were low on food. So I had to come with him."

Audrina stepped up at that point, obviously a little annoyed at our exclusion of her. "I hate to break this up, but I need you to store this Audina. Big bro would just go waste it on gambling and that alcohol stuff humans drink." She proceeded to dump the pokecoins out of the satchel onto the table, giving a little giggle at the look on Audina's face.

"Geez sis, what did you do? Rob the local bar?"

"Called it. Anyways, no, little Eevee's Papa decided it would be good to buy out the entire stand with a rather large excess of money."

"Why would he do that? Doesn't he need that money?"

"Apparently not. He had four more pouches just like it, and he said he had more. I heard he used to work as a mercenary. That true little Eevee?" They both turned to me, and I nodded my head.

"Yes, but he says it's all in the past."

"Whatever." Audina said. "Yes, I'll take care of the money. You two get back to whatever. I know you Audrina, and you two are probably going to the cafe by the market, am I right?" At that, Audrina gave a little giggle. "You know me so well sis. It's actually kinda creepy sometimes."

The two shared another laugh, we exchanged our farewells, and Audrina and I set out for the cafe.

-!-

We arrived at the cafe a short time later. I looked up at the small blue sign that hung over the entrance, which read Glacier Cafe. Since I was a quadruped and couldn't open the door, Audrina opened it and I stepped inside, her shortly after.

When I looked around, I could see each part of the cafe was designed for mainly pokemon to use. The individual tables were set low, for ease of access for the other quadrupeds like me. The decor, while rather simple, had a glow about it I could not place. Perhaps it was the centerpieces on the tables. They were shining blue shards of ice that cast a cool glow over the tables. It was obvious pokemon weren't allowed to touch them, if the glass jars over them weren't clue enough.

We stood by a table with a pokemon behind it, obviously waiting for us to say something.

Audrina spoke up before I could, saying "Table for three, please." Wordlessly, the pokemon walked, or rather floated, ahead of us with us following it. The pokemon, who Audrina whispered to me was a froslass, showed us to a table close to a window, one of the only ones actually.

"I give it about ten minutes until the old man shows his face looking for you. In that time, I can answer any questions the little trip from earlier didn't. After that, I'm headed home for the night." Audrina said.

I nodded my head, thinking for a moment. "Well, you were right when you said that side trip would answer most of my questions. I guess the only one I have left is, when can I meet your brother?" When I said that, Audrina let out a little sigh. "I'm not sure that's the best idea. Big bro is… difficult, to say the least. He's very hard to talk to, and the few pokemon and humans he does hang out with are the unsavory type."

"What do you mean by unsavory?" I asked. "I mean that they're troublemakers. There has been more than one occasion where they've committed crimes like theft. He's actually banned from this cafe. Honor, my ass. He has none."

At that moment, Papa walked into the cafe. He looked around before spotting me and Audrina, and with a little nod to the froslass server, walked over to us. "I thought I might find you two here. What's the matter Eevee? The market too boring for your tastes?" He said, smiling at me.

"Nope, Audrina had to take the money home, so we walked over there. I met her sister Audina. She seems nice." Papa sat down cross legged next to me and scratched between my ears, to which I clearly announced my happiness. We sat there for a few minutes like that, chatting away while Papa scratched at my head. The froslass from before came back, carrying three plates. One had a pile of cheri berries, one had a pile of lum berries, and one had a pile of pecha berries. The froslass set the cheri berries in front of Papa, the lum berries in front of Audrina, and the pecha berries in front of me. With a little bow, she turned around and floated back to her stand.

"Uh, Papa? This is nice and all, but we didn't place any orders. How did they know what we would want?" I asked. Papa started to answer, but Audrina interrupted, saying "I think I can answer that. The person in charge of food stores in the back is a friend of mine. He's a rather nice Gallade, which is a psychic type. He probably read our minds when we walked in the door, automatically knowing what we would like to eat." "Ah, that makes sense."

We sat there for a little while eating our meal. When we were done, Papa stood up. "Well, it's been nice seeing you Audrina, but Eevee and I have to go. We need to rent out an inn for the night, as it has gotten too dark for us to safely make the trip home." "Fine, but at least let me accompany you to the inn." she replied. I stood up with a start, looking outside. It had indeed gotten dark outside, and a few stars were beginning to appear. Papa handed the froslass 100 poke, at which the pokemon's eyes grew wide. Already accustomed to this, we grinned and stepped outside.

There wasn't that many people or pokemon walking around, as it was nearly time for them to go to sleep. We walked over to the inn, which was actually only across the street. Standing in front of the doors was a very familiar Houndour and an Umbreon.

"Ah, there you are Elisia! I would have figured that you left and went back to your den in the woods," said Papa. Elisia turned to us with a start and grinned. "Francis! So good to see you! I was actually going to stay here for the night with my friend. Allow me to introduce you. Wolfe, meet Francis. Francis, this is Wolfe."

Wolfe grinned. "I would say thank you, but it looks like you know me already." Confused, I turned to look at Papa, who I saw had a dumbfounded look on his face. "Papa? Are you alright?" Without taking his eyes off of Wolfe, he said, "I'm fine Eevee. Do you remember the mercenary that I said spared my life? Well, this is him."

I turned to Wolfe, who crouched down to my level. "Hello, young 's your name?" I smiled at him, saying, "I'm Eevee."

-!-

That was the first time I met Wolfe. Wolfe was a major influence on my life, as he often told me stories of different adventures whenever we met. I saw him a few more times over the years, the most recent being my 14th birthday party. Unfortunately, he couldn't make it to my fifteenth. If he had, maybe things would have been different. Maybe Papa wouldn't have been killed.

The day of my fifteenth birthday, Papa got me one of the pieces of ice used to light up Glacier Cafe. It was explained to me that they were actual pieces of a glacier from the north, and this shard would evolve me into a glaceon. He had already taught me about all the possible evolutions for me, but my favorites by far were the Umbreon and Glaceon. Without speaking, I reached out and touched the piece of ice.

The change was instantaneous. My fluffy brown fur flattened closer to my body and turned blue. Two dangles formed under my ears, and my eyes tinged blue. Audrina and Elisia, who were attending the party, both clapped and stomped respectively. Papa picked me up and gave me a little hug.

"I believe I can no longer call you Eevee, can I? Well, happy birthday glaceon." I blushed at his words and said, "Thanks Papa. I love you." Then I blinked, surprised at the deepness of my own voice.

Elisia saw me blushing and let out a laugh. "It seems that no matter how old you get or how you change, you'll still be the same blushy Eevee on the inside." Papa nodded. "That's for sure. So, did you get everything you wanted for your birthday?"

"Not only was I given something to help me evolve, I'm surrounded my dad and my best friends in the world. What more could I want?" Audrina bumped my side and said, "I could think of a few other things."

She said, grinning at me. All three of them let out a loud laugh when they saw my face was even redder than before.

"D-don't joke about that!" I said, more than a little embarrassed at her insinuation. Her grin just grew wider. "Who said I was?" Papa tapped me on the shoulder. "Son, if you need a room, Elisia and I would be more than happy to step out for a bit." he said, winking at me. "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" I shouted. Ever since I turned 14, Audrina had been showing more and more of an interest in me. Both Elisia and Papa had caught on quickly, and they were not afraid to capitalize on it to play with me. They knew it got me flustered, but it was obvious that they didn't care.

"Hehe, you know I'm messing with you Ee-, I mean Glaceon. I won't force you into something you don't want to do." Audrina said, giving me a hug. I smiled and nuzzled her back. "Thanks Audrina. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm not interested in you, I'm just… not ready for that sort of thing."

With that, I let go of her and turned to Elisia. We nuzzled each other for a moment, and when she backed away, she smiled. "Whatever manages to catch you as their mate, be they male or female, will be damned lucky." I blushed again. "Thanks Elisia. The same goes for you too, even if you're already spoken for."

Indeed, Elisias' mate, who had elected to stay home, was another female houndoom whom Elisia had met in Daric. Together, they took care of another young Eevee whose egg they had found. The Eevee, Elisia had told me, was sick, and her mate was at their den taking care of it.

"Well, I hate to cut this little get together short, but Glaceon and I have work to do in the morning. Besides, you two may be dark types, but that doesn't mean you will be safe after dark." Papa said. Elisia sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right. Let's go Audrina. Don't want your big bro to start screaming again."

They both hugged Papa and stepped outside into the darkness, shouting farewells over their shoulders. Papa shut the door and turned to me. "Well Glaceon, I guess we need to turn in as well." After Papa had snuffed the fire, we headed back to the bedroom we both still shared. I may have been 15 years old, but I was still young enough to cuddle with Papa. He laid down flat on the bed and I curled up on his chest, a position we had used for the past 15 years. I waited for him to fall asleep, still remembering his occasional nightmares before I bothered going to sleep myself.

-!-

I woke up with a start, hearing loud banging noises coming from the kitchen. I also heard some shouting, but it was muffled enough that I couldn't really discern the words. I rubbed my eyes with a forepaw, stretched, and trotted into the living room. At least, I would have, but I ended up stopping in the hallway. Across the living room, I saw several pokemon and humans standing in a circle around Papa. The pokemon were all psychic types, mainly Gallades and a Meowstic, and were holding Papa up in the air. He was in the process of shouting at one of the Humans. "I told you, I don't know who that is. I don't have your money, so don't threaten me or my family." The Human laughed at him. "Then I guess we'll just have to force you to watch while I cut your precious son to pieces."

A look I had never seen before came over Papa's face. He started struggling against the grip of the psychic type, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't escape. The human raised his hand, making sure everyone was watching him, and backhanded Papa across the face. Papa kept struggling, but he was just backhanded again and again.

Finally, Papa just gave up, panting. The Human got really close to his face. "Have you given up already? Come on, I was just getting started!" he said, obviously amused at the torment. Papa spit in his face, and the glob was visibly dripping. "Fuck you, asshole." he said. The Gallade and the Meowstic both snarled, and the human pulled out a knife. He held it to Papa's throat, saying "You're going to regret ever defying us."

At that moment, I rushed from my spot in the hallway and slammed into the back of the Gallade. With an audible "pop" sound coming from it's back, the Gallade collapsed, crying out in pain. The Meowstic and Human both turned, more than likely surprised at seeing one of their companions on the ground with me standing over him.

Papa, the psychic grip on him released, hit the ground running as he slammed into the knife wielding human. While they struggled, I turned to the remaining opponent, the Meowstic. It jumped at me, and I tried to sidestep the jump, but messed up my footing and toppled. The meowstic landed on top of me, choking me in a psychic grip of it's own. I kicked out, trying to knock it off of me, but to no avail. My vision blurred, starting to go dark when I felt it suddenly release.

I looked up, and saw Papa standing over me. The Meowstic was on its side beside me, the knife from the Human buried in its side. I looked over at the Human, now dead. There was a deep slash mark in his neck.

Papa helped me to my feet. "Are you alright, son?" "Yeah, I replied. Just a little shaken up. That Meowstic was strong." "Good. Because it's not over yet." he said, reaching into the hidden closet and pulling out his sword. "What do you mean, Papa?" He plunged his sword into the back of the Gallade's neck before turning to me. "I mean there's still one more pokemon. Meowstics normally travel in pairs, so I don't doubt that there is still one more here. Somewhere."

We started searching the house together, making sure to keep each other in sight. I silently nudged the door to the bedroom open, and Papa stepped in first. I made to step in after him, but Papa stopped me with his foot. I looked past him into the room, noticing the other Meowstic sitting where I had been sleeping, maybe ten minutes ago. This one was darker than the other, and sat in a very relaxed position, seemingly not scared of us.

"Took you long enough." it spoke in a very feminine voice. Papa sighed. "Look, I don't want to kill you, but I will if I have to. Leave, and I won't pursue you."

The Meowstic snickered. "You just killed my mate. If you think I'm just going to walk away from that, you are sadly mistaken. I'm much stronger than my mate, so you won't find me so easy to kill."

Papa and I both stepped forward at the same time. Before we could take another, the Meowstic leapt into the air, it's eyes glowing. Suddenly I was flung backwards, landing in the hallway. I leapt back up, trying to run back into the room, but was blocked when the door slammed shut in my face.

I smashed into the door multiple times, trying to get through so I could help Papa. Despite my efforts, I couldn't break through. The door was jammed shut. Several loud crashes later, the door slowly opened. I cautiously pushed it the rest of the way open, and gasped at what I saw. The meowstic was grinning, half it's face covered in blood, but not its' own. Papa was on his back, his own sword buried to the hilt in his chest. Blood was bubbling out of his mouth, but I didn't notice. I was too busy screaming. "You- YOU KILLED MY FATHER!"

The Meowstic broke out into laughter, hysterical at the misery it was causing. "Of course I did. He had it coming, the bastard." When I heard what she said, my vision blurred, turning red. All I remember after that was brief flashes of light, and the sound screaming.

When I came out of my rage, the Meowstic was nowhere to be found. Then I felt something wet on the top of my head. I ran my paw across the top of my head and looked at it. The fur was stained red. I looked up, and finally saw where the Meowstic was. It was on the ceiling, it's' obviously snapped legs frozen to it. A look of abject horror and pain was on it's face, or what was left of it. There was a large shard of ice buried in it's chest.

Its throat was slashed open, and one of its eyes dangled uselessly off of its face.

I stumbled away from the corpse, tripping up and landing on my side on the bed. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. "Did… did I do this?"

With a slight cough, Papa gave me a reply. "You did son. And I'm proud." "Papa?!" I cried, running over to him. I nuzzled hard into his side in an effort to comfort him. "Ow- ow, watch the sword!" The sword, still stuck in his chest, was the source of most of the blood pouring from him.

"Its looks… like this is the end of the road for me, son."

"Don't say that!" I cried. Papa raised his hand to my head, rubbing along it. "Son, think." He said. "We're miles from Daric, the only town that could patch me up temporarily. Even then, they don't have a capable enough healer. They couldn't fix this wound." He coughed again, and I gave the side of his face a little lick. "Papa… I can't lose you. I don't know what I could do without you!"

He smiled, the last of the life fading from his eyes. "Anything you want, son. I love you.." With that, he closed his eyes and breathed his last. I sat there for about a minute, processing everything that had happened in the past hour. Then I stood up and walked into the kitchen. I looked at the bodies of the Gallade, the male Meowstic, and the Human. Before I could stop myself, I was running out the door, trying not to vomit. I landed in the snow, dry heaving since I hadn't eaten anything. And I screamed, long and loud until I passed out.

-!-

In the five years that followed, I wound up pledging my service to… someone. She called me her solution. As silly as it seems, that didn't affect the mild hate that formed for me when it came to psychic types and humans. I worked as a mercenary, trying to find out what could have caused the attack against my father. I grew more and more skilled, so much so that the "Memories", another nation's army, hired me to fight for them.

I was placed on a special team with four others, A magmar and her sister, a Blaziken, a Machamp, and a Scyther. We were a good team, when we were all there anyways. The Scyther, Crux, often disappeared with a few other Scyther's, and he almost always came back covered in blood. It disgusted me.

One day we were sent on a mission to lure out and capture a white Vulpix and a human mercenary, whom Crux had been having difficulty with. While the mission started out rather nicely, everything went downhill once Crux went to go get the mercenary. He came back to us, wings missing and pouring blood, after the mercenary had fought him, which wasn't the plan. We helped him to our encampment, during which time I noticed a dagger sticking out of his shoulder, in such a way that we couldn't remove it without him losing his arm. Despite our efforts, however, he still lost his arm on the way there, leaving just the dagger in it. In his rage, the field medic who had to remove the blade lost his life. While Crux rested up in the medical tent, everyone else stood guard outside of it. I went to report to the leader what had happened.

I arrived at the tent, but stopped, the coppery smell of blood heavy in it. I looked in, and immediately turned around, running as fast as I could to get the others. The inside of the tent was coated in blood, and several people's corpses laid everywhere, their own guts strewn about. Our commander was laid up against the side of the tent, a chest wound gushing blood.

I rushed past the other three into the tent, and I could see a cloaked man standing near where Crux lay sleeping. I threw a shard of ice, just barely missing him as it slammed into the wooden frame beside him. We got in between the man and Crux, trying to force him to back off.

"Not on our watch human." I said, already a little angry that he would attack a sleeping opponent. I stepped forward, but Blaziken stopped me with an arm. "Don't rush things Temna. That's an easy way to get yourself killed." I glanced up at her, angry that she stopped me. Nonetheless, I stepped back. We took defensive positions, and Blaziken spoke to the man, saying "He's right though. You won't be killing that scyther tonight, not while we're standing. Besides, he's injured. Where's the honor in killing a crippled fighter?"

At that moment, the machamp stepped in. "You're wasting your breath. He's a human. He can't understand you." The man spoke up, saying "Oh, yes I can, dear friends. I'm not like most humans. As for honor, well, I don't figure that Crux deserves an honorable death."

"We're not your friends." I thought, getting more and more angered by the human. "So far as me not killing him while you're standing, well I've always enjoyed a challenge." Before we could make a move, he moved both of his knives to his palms, flicking one at the Magmar and the other between the arms of the Machamp. The one flung at the Magmar sank into her neck, and the one flung at Crux sunk to the hilt in the side of his skull.

We looked at the two in turn, with each one causing us to become angrier than before. "I believe you were mistaken." He said. It disturbed me how he sounded when he said it. He almost sounded cheerful. Blaziken screamed back, saying "Was it necessary to kill Maddie!?" So, her name was Maddie. I'll remember her, short though the time that I knew her.

"I took out my target, and the one I considered the biggest threat to me. So yes. Yes it was." Blaziken seemed to get even angrier, if that was even possible. "Oh, you're going to pay. Temna, Dirk, you with me?" We grunted our approval, and got into offensive positions. Two human guards ran over to help us, and I eyed them angrily. "Damn Humans. Always getting into things that don't concern them."

"Well, well. Five versus one. This ought to be interesting." He reached up and unclasped his cloak, letting it fall to the ground behind him. I recognized him, but what little surprise I held turned into rage. It was Wolfe, the man I had known so long ago. "You!" I shouted.

Wolfe turned a curious eye on me, but as he did, a dark blur impacted the two human guards. Blaziken turned to the little mess. "Who are you?!" She shouted at the dark Flareon, who had just stood up.

"Flare." He responded shortly.

"Why would you help this human!?" "I actually was just after Crux, but he took care of him for me. So, I figured that I would help him out. After all, five versus one isn't exactly fair odds." I just glared at the two furiously.

"Hey, fire bird, you take care of him, alright? Dirk and I have this guy." Not even bothering to respond, the Blaziken took off, running straight at the Blaziken. Rolling my eyes, I flung an ice shard at Wolfe, who dodged it as well as the lumbering form of Dirk. I managed to fire off one more ice shard, but Wolfe sent out a wave of dark energy, sending the both of us tumbling backwards. I made to stand up just as Dirk's body slammed into me, causing my leg to snap. "Well, shit." I thought, just before I blacked out.

-!-

I woke up sometime later, when a splash of water hit my face. Standing in front of me was an Umbreon, a Vulpix, and an Espeon. The Espeon was looking at me with a slight smile, and a bucket was floating beside her. I made to move towards the Espeon, aiming to wipe the grin off of its face. I was stopped though, this time by a chain around my neck. I pulled against it, trying to escape. When it didn't budge, I tried to freeze it off, a trick I had learned the last time I was in a situation like this.

"Don't bother." Came a very feminine voice. I looked up, over to the Espeon who had gotten the Umbreon and Vulpix's attentions as well. "I'm limiting you're abilities, so you can't 'freeze your way out'.

The Umbreon made his way over then, a grin of his own on his face. "Well, I see you woke him up." He said in a very familiar voice. The two continued chatting for a second, completely ignoring me. I sat there listening for a second, before I finally recognized the voice. "Wolfe?!"

 **Well, this is Awesome! I love how the first chapter is, as does Aurumn48, who was willing to support me and act as my editor. Thanks bro, I couldn't have done it without you. Uh, let's see... Reviews are always welcome, be they positive or negative. Please, let me know what you think. As for you haters, well, before you start whining, "He stole Aurumn's dialogue" and all that shit, I'm letting you know now that he gave me permission. I** **f you don't know who Aurumn is, please, search up his story as well and read it. Parts of my story may not make sense to you if you don't, but I'll do my best to clarify.** **I'm really proud of myself, and of this story, because like I said, this is my first time writing one. Thank you all for reading, and I wish you all a great day or night.**


	2. Questions and Answers

**Well, here it is. This chapter was a little fun for me, as I got to introduce a few of my friends characters. Toxic... well, sorry bro, but your character may seem like a bit of a dick in this chapter. Same goes for mine at times tho.**

"Wolfe?!" I exclaimed, shocked at what was entailing. The Umbreon in question's gaze snapped to me and he glared suspiciously.

"How is it you know my name, but I've never heard the name Temna before?" he asked me. I just stared at him, shocked that he didn't recognize me. Well I guess that could be expected. It has been at least five years. But that wasn't what had shocked me. Wolfe, who I knew as a human, was an Umbreon!

"How are you a pokemon? I thought you were a human!" The Umbreon blinked, then gave me a reply. "Well, surprise, surprise. I'm special. Now, you never told me how you recognized me."

I deadpanned. "Your voice." A little trick Wolfe had actually taught me himself, but I guess he didn't remember that either. He sighed, then rubbed his forehead. "Alright, whatever. You know me, I don't know you. We've established that. Now then, will you answer our questions for you?"

I just shrugged. "Not much I can tell you if it's about the memories. I'm a mercenary, they hired me, simple as that."

"Well, just answer our questions to the best of your ability, how about that?" Again, I shrugged. "Shoot."

"Alright, where was that Memory encampments destination?" came Wolfe's first question.

"Nor," was all I said in reply. "Easy enough, I suppose. Why was Nor their destination? I shrugged yet again. "Beats me, I just marched where I was told."

In my mind, I thought for a moment, before coming to a conclusion. This is going to take forever.

 **-!-**

I walked out of the small interrogation room, stretching slightly. Having been in there for over seven hours being questioned had taken its toll on me, and I was understandably tired.

In front of me walked an Espeon, who was still holding the chain that lay claim to my neck. Behind me walked an Umbreon and an Absol. The Espeon and the Umbreon were two of my interrogators, one of which was Wolfe, the Umbreon I knew personally. As for the Absol, I had no idea who he was, nor did I really care. He had walked up to Wolfe and asked if they had gotten any information out of me, something I'm proud to say they hadn't managed.

About three hours in, the Espeon had suggested torture. I began to panic slightly, but to my relief, Wolfe shot the idea down immediately. Something about a code against harming other Eevee's and their Eeveelutions. Considering the Wolfe I knew was a traveling mercenary, I was a little surprised. The only code I operated under was one that made sure I was paid for my work. Well that, and one of the ones Papa had had before he retired.

"Pain is only temporary," he had said. "Take it, utilize it, and make it your motivator." That code served me well over the course of time after his death. It led to me putting an end to the Froslass massacres in the southern mountains, the bandit raids near my own home, and even the hunting of the one's who hired the men to kill my Papa.

My thoughts were soon interrupted as I was lead to another stone hall, this one having multiple stone alcoves carved into it's length. We stopped in front of the fourth one, and I glanced at the two pokemon on either side of the door. One was a Luxray and the other was a Lopunny. Both looked rather tired.

The Lopunny looked at me before turning to Wolfe, who had walked up beside me. "Prisoner transfer?" it spoke in a soft, but stern female voice. Wolfe grinned, "Nope! Just observation until the boss feels we can trust him. Besides," he said, turning to me, a rather large shit-eating grin on his face. "He recognized me. He won't try anything."

He knew me pretty well for someone whom I hadn't seen for over five years. "He's right. Besides, I figure I'm surrounded by at least three hundred pokemon and humans of various types and skill. I'm not stupid enough to try to escape."

The Espeon, who had just managed to get the chain around my neck undone, was

forced to jump back as the Luxray leapt towards me, knocking me into the alcove with a resounding smack of his paw. My left side impacted the stone wall near the back of the alcove, sending a lance of pain through my body. I managed to stand up shakily, looking over at the entrance. To my surprise, Wolfe had the Luxray pinned. He had shifted back into his human form, and had a knife pressed into his neck. The Luxray, for fear of having his throat slashed open, was forced to listen as Wolfe whispered something into his ear.

After about a minute, Wolfe stood up, and the Luxray soon after. He slowly made his way over to me and stood there for a moment. With a grunt heard from Wolfe, he dropped his head and spoke to me, saying "I'm sorry for attacking you. You aren't a prisoner, you are just under observation. It won't happen again."

"Damn right it won't." interjected the Lopunny. "You alright?" After I nodded my head, she walked over to me and held out a paw, which I shook. "The name's Candy. Ignore Bucke, he's a bit of a… bitch, so to speak, but he's alright once you get to know him."

I scoffed. "Yes, I'm sure we'll be the best of friends. I'm Temna."

"Temna, huh? Well, with a name like that, I'm sure you've got a story." "Story and a half, but I'd rather not share."

Candy let out a little laugh. "Another time then. You hungry? I could get one of the ones who brought you here to bring you some food." I started to say yes, because I was feeling rather hungry, but I looked past her just in time to see Wolfe grab the Espeon and the two disappear. The Absol just turned around and walked away. Figures.

Sighing, I turned back to Candy and said, "Nah. I'd rather just rest for a while. So, if you could take Bucke and go…" Bucke jumped in then, saying "We can't exactly go, but we'll stand guard outside. As I said before, it's just observation, so I could technically leave if you wanted me to, but Candy still has to stay here and watch you."

I opened my eyes a little wider, feigning shock. "By Arceus, he speaks for himself! I'm fine, do whatever you wish Bucke, just leave me alone for a couple of hours." He nodded his head, nudged Candy, and two walked back into the hallway, each taking positions on either side of the entrance. I, in turn, moved to the back of the alcove and curled into a ball. Personally I would have preferred a sheet or something to wrap around me, but I'm an ice type, so I figure I'll be fine.

Closing my eyes, I began the process I had done many times before. A deep breath in for ten seconds, then out for ten seconds. After that, I cleared my mind as much as I could, mentally calling out, "Valencia, it's time we talked." Almost immediately, a cooling sensation overcame me as my body loosened up, and I blacked out. There was a slight tinge of pain in the center of my chest.

I "woke up" sometime later, the cooling sensation, now a breeze, still present. I opened my eyes and surveyed the area around me. I was in the middle of a large field of grass which seemed to stretch endlessly. I closed my eyes again and lay my head back down, briefly enjoying the comfort and peace I felt.

After about a minute, something warm nuzzled the side of my face and bit the tassle under my ear gently, almost playfully. I looked up, regarding the Flareon that stood before me.

"Hello Valencia. How are you?"

"I have been alright. And you?" she said, smiling gently. "You should know. You 'have an eye on me', as you so proclaim." I responded. She let out a giggle and lay down beside me. "Indeed I do, but I believe I would much rather hear it from you. So, are you going to share, my solution?"

Ah, there it was. My solution. I've known Valencia for five years, and she has never failed to call me anything else. "And I never will." she continued with a smirk. I rolled my eyes. "Again with the mind reading? Really?"

She raised her left forepaw and brushed it against my side. The blue snowflake mark she had given me all those years ago lit up brightly at her touch as she continued. "It cannot be helped. Until the day that you dismiss me, or the day you are killed permanently, we are connected. So it was with your father, and so it shall be with you. Now, I believe you have a story to share with me?"

I sighed, "Fine. As you know, I was working my contract with the Memories, capturing and killing, or rather trying to, the descendant of a man who lead the mercenary forces against the Memories around five decades prior. I was the second in command of the team I was placed on, our leader being a fiery Blaziken. Little did I know that the man had no descendants, and I would be facing off against the leader of the mercenary forces himself.

He turned out to be Wolfe, a man who was a good friend of Papa's. With the help of a dark furred Flareon who had come to kill another team member, he took out the entire team, capturing me in the process when a certain thick-headed machamp fell on me and knocked me unconcious.

Next thing I know, I'm chained to a wall by my neck being interrogated by Wolfe and two others. For seven hours. Finally, they lead me to a small hallway with several stone alcoves, where I had an interesting chat with a Lopunny and, once I was through being knocked around by him, a Luxray. Which reminds me, do you mind?"

I rolled onto my back, bringing my left side next to her. She smiled, saying "Not at all." She put her paw against me, and I felt a few pulses of heat reverberate through me. Moments later, she pulled back and nodded.

"Your only injuries are the snapped leg which you neglected to mention in your story, and your second and third ribs, which are bruised. Favor your right side when walking around, and your ribs should be fine after a day's rest."

"Yes mother." I replied, giving her a cheeky little grin. She rolled her eyes and smiled right back. "I may not be your mother, but I do care about you. More than you will ever know."

"Which is why I'm walking around in a splint. Right?" I continued, countering playfully. A sage expression crossed her face then, and she sat back on her haunches. "My solution, while your injuries were unexpected, I do believe they are necessary. There are things you don't know yet that you will need to learn here, and you're traveling around working different contracts won't allow that."

"And my being held captive will?" I could tell that the time for playing around had passed, and Valencia was being serious at that point.

"I believe the term that they used was 'under observation'. But yes, regardless of the dislike you feel of Wolfe and his associates because of how you're being held, there you will find the answers to everything you need to know. And if you play your cards right, perhaps more. Besides, once you leave, you will be at least Wolfe's equal in skill. Only one other there can hold a candle to his skill, but if you tried to leave, he wouldn't interfere."

She stood up then, and walked about 40 yards ahead of me. When she turned to face me, a facsimile of Wolfe appeared beside her, this time in his human form. She studied it for a moment, before speaking up. "Kind of handsome, don't you think?"

I definitely agreed, but I didn't let it distract me when the false Wolfe charged at me with almost reckless abandon, and I was forced to backpedal rapidly as he brought his knives down one after the other towards my head. He brought his leg around in a low sweep, and I was forced to jump, barely managing to dodge the attack. I threw two quick shards of ice at his hands, and while one missed, the other connected, sending his blade twisting through the air.

We each took a step back, and he glanced down, as if just noticing his loss of the dagger. To my surprise, he just opened his hand and the blade appeared in his palm. A wicked grin crossed his face then, and he threw both of the blades at me. I managed to dodge one of the blades, but the other clipped the tassel under my ear. Despite the fact that I wasn't actually in any danger, I still felt it, and it hurt like hell. I didn't have any time to answer with an attack, because Wolfe then slammed into me, now in his Umbreon form.

I sailed through the air for the second time that day, crashing into the ground about twenty feet away from him. I stood up quickly, studying him warily. " _How the fuck am I supposed to beat someone that has more than one form, and is just as fast as me? Wait a second…"_

An idea quickly formed in my head. It was a little risky, but risk was something I had gotten used to when fighting. I jumped into the air and froze the ground around the two of us, causing the grass to form into raised spikes of ice, sharp ones at that. Wolfe leapt in time to avoid being frozen to the ground, but it froze under him. He landed, and nearly fell onto his face. When I landed, I slid between two of the many small glaciers the grass had started to form, and I quickly steadied myself. Next, I opened my mouth, summoning a rather large blizzard to cover the battlefield. I stopped when the only thing I could hear and see clearly was the wind howling around me.

Needless to say, I was a little proud of myself. I had effectively cut off his sight and hearing via the blizzard, and I had mostly limited his use of movement. If he can't see where he's moving, he won't be able to charge me without hitting the glacier spikes. I stood there for a moment waiting, daring for him to try something. And try he did. Out of the haze of the blizzard came a dark blur. It stopped beside me, solidified, and there stood Wolfe, again in his human form. He quickly brought his foot up, and it impacted my side, sending me flying into one of the glaciers which pierced my side. I coughed, spitting up blood, only adding to the blood already pouring from my cut ear tassel. A shadow crossed my face, and I looked up just in time for the false Wolfe to press his blade against my neck.

Before he could cut, I yelled as loudly as I could, "I concede!" My injuries disappeared, and the false Wolfe froze, disappearing with the rest of the battlefield. Valencia stood there, a small look of disapproval on her face. "You had him beat, my solution. But you grew prideful, and that was your downfall." she said, admonishing me. "Perhaps you won't beat him now, but when the times calls for it, you will."

I let out a grumble then, as I was a little frustrated that I was bested by someone who wasn't even real. "Can you at least tell me where I am? I can understand having to stay, but I would at least like to know what to call the damn place. Besides, they didn't bother telling me while they were interrogating me."

She considered that for a moment. "... I suppose I can tell you that. The place you are being held is the headquarters for a rather large group. More specifically, the Dark Army. For now, they are basically a peacekeeping group that lives in the side of one of the Doxah mountains. Once they have amassed enough members, they are looking to go bigger, which they will."

"Well that explains why I was captured by them. I was working for the biggest literal threat. The memories." I said, continuing off of Valencia's statement.

"Exactly. Will that be all? I have things I need to attend to."

"Almost, stop trying to run me off. The Dark Army… well, I can't say I've heard of them, though I suppose that no longer matters. What I don't understand is how Wolfe is connected to them. He and I are mercenaries, weapons of war and death. From what you told me, that goes completely against what this 'Peacekeeping' group stands for. I might understand if they have paid him money, but why? Do they feel they need protection? And if so, from what?"

"Maybe so, My Solution, but that will be for you to determine. Wolfe is… a special case. While they did pay for his services, his reasoning for staying there is slightly more complicated."

"Care to share?" I asked. She had already told me this much. I figured I should try and milk a few more answers out of her. Obviously she figured out my little scheme, because she put on a little grin.

"Now why would I tell you that? It sounds an awful lot like something you should ask him yourself." I opened my mouth to reply, but stopped when I noticed the white outline of a circle forming around me, signaling that it was time for me to leave. I looked back up towards Valencia, but she had disappeared, leaving only the image of a snowflake where she last sat.

"Didn't even say goodbye." I thought to myself. Not even a full heartbeat later, a gentle "Goodbye." floated past my ears. Of course. The line connected and, in a flash of white and blue, I again fell unconscious.

-!-

There was a dull pressure in my closed eyes as I slowly gained focus in the world around me. I could hear voices, but it was all a big blur at first. Slowly they came into focus, and I could hear a female voice speaking. "- what the lady said. If he doesn't wake up soon, we'll have to wipe his memory and turn him out."

"But why?" came another voice, which I identified as Candy. "You're ignoring the other thing she said. He's breathing on his own now, so he may just be asleep!" They thought something was wrong with me and actually did something? That's a first. I focused back on the conversation as another voice spoke up, this one unfamiliar. "Well there is one way for us to check." came the male voice, almost playfully.

"And what's that?" asked Candy. A warm feeling began to wind its way around my loins, and I scrunched up my face slightly, trying my hardest to maintain the illusion that I was asleep. He must have known that I was faking, because he began to rub lightly at it, and my body began to betray me as my length slowly increased.

"That's it…" he said, rubbing harder. I completely gave up completely when I felt a similar pressure on my tailhole, and I kicked out as hard as I could. The bottom of my left hindpaw impacted a nose, drawing a large, nasal "Ow!"

I leapt up quickly and surveyed the three pokemon and the room around me. I must have been moved to a sort of emergency room when I went unconscious. A Vaporeon stood to the left of the small bed I stood on, with a blue Sylveon in front of me, and Candy to my right. The Vaporeon had a paw to it's face, laughing at the Sylveon, who was rubbing away at its swelling nose. Candy just looked away, a prominent blush displayed on her cheeks.

"Hey! What was that for?!" asked the Sylveon. Judging by his highly visible ribbon-like feelers, he was the culprit.

"You had it coming!" piped the Vaporeon. "In what scenario did you think feeling up a sleeping pokemon was a good idea?"

"I couldn't help it! I saw him strewn across the back of a Luxray who was practically galloping down the hall. So, I decided to follow." "How does that answer her question?" said Candy, who had gotten over her embarrassment, and stood there with her arms crossed.

"It doesn't." I growled, glaring at the sylveon. "Which means he has exactly two more tries before I leave him hanging from the ceiling by his feelers." The Sylveon just stood there, seemingly unaffected by my words. "Now why would I do that Cutie? I was just a little worried about you…" I felt a little wave of something pass over me, and I instantly grew angrier.

"Did you just- is that all you damn Sylveon's can do? None of you know yet, so why don't you let me tell you. Shit like that? It doesn't work on me. So, strike two. Want to try again?" This time, a bead of sweat appeared on the Sylveon's forehead, and he took a step back as I moved towards him.

"Look… let's start over, yeah? I'm sorry for feeling you up, though you liked it, that much is obvious. My name's Toxy. You?"

"Wrong answer." I took another step forward, and Toxy turned tail, running towards the entrance to the room as fast as he could. I didn't plan on letting him get away that easily, so I quickly caused a clear wall of ice to form in the entrance. Toxy, who was focused on me, ran directly into it and quite literally bounced off. He crashed unceremoniously to the floor and lay there unconscious, a large red welt from the impact in the center of his forehead.

Five minutes later, I remained true to my word, and had him hanging from the ceiling by his feelers. Candy walked up to him, nudged him, and we all watched as he swung back and forth slowly. We all looked at each other before breaking out into laughter.

Apparently what had happened lead to two new friends because the two made their way over to me and sat beside me on the edge of the floor. The Vaporeon held out a paw. "You have won my respect. I'm Lura."

"Temna. Nice to meet you." I replied, taking the offered paw and shaking gently. Candy tapped my other shoulder, and I turned to her. "You know, I'm supposed to turn you in for doing shit like that, but you made me laugh. I haven't seen something as funny as that in a long time. Besides, he did deserve it."

"Yeah. As much as I may have liked that, he shouldn't have touched me like that." Lura giggled. "I'll say. You liked it more than a little, that much is obvious." she said, pointing a paw at my shrinking member. I blushed lightly and tried to cover it up. She giggled again, and spoke, saying "Hey, I don't judge. Both my mates and I are the same way."

Candy tapped my shoulder again, and I turned to see her looking at me, her eyes half-lidded. "You know, you don't need to cover up. We could always have some fun sometime..."

I blushed even redder and stuttered for a moment, causing the two female 'mon to fall onto their backs with laughter. I hit Candy's arm as hard as I could and covered up my face. Once they were done laughing, they sat down beside me and began rubbing my back.

"Hey, don't feel bad Temna. I meant what I said. I wouldn't mind fooling around with you sometime." said Candy. "Neither would I, though I would have to ask my mates. I'm sure they wouldn't mind. Hell, Wolfe may even want to join in!" piped up Lura.

I smiled at the two and gave each a little hug before standing up. "Whatever, it's fine. That ice is going to melt eventually, but for now, I'm hungry. Is there a place to eat around here?" I asked. I had refused the offer of food before, but not this time. Now, I was just plain hungry.

"Well, the most obvious place we could head is outside, because there are plenty of berries, if you know where to look. But we can't do that, Duke thinks you might try and flee. He's the boss, by the way. There is a cafeteria on base, though the food isn't very good. The cooks are a mix of Fennekins and Braixens, so they put twigs in _everything_. Regardless, want to head there?" Candy asked.

"Eh, why not? Give me a moment to unblock the doorway." I held up a paw, concentrated, and the wall of ice diminished into a cool puddle of water. We each walked out the doorway, kicking or hitting the dangling unconscious Sylveon as we passed.

A little further down the hall, we could hear a light crying sound. We started to move a little faster, worried that someone was hurt, but stopped when we saw who it was.

Bucke, the Luxray from before, was practically sobbing as a dark-furred Jolteon, who looked more than a little uncomfortable, tried to comfort him. "What's up with Bucke?" I whispered to Candy. Candy, who was facepalming at the time, glanced over at me and whispered, "He feels guilty. He thinks that when he knocked you around earlier, he caused whatever lead to your comatose state, and he freaked out. Remember how that Sylveon, Toxy, said he saw a Luxray running to the Medical Center? Well, that was him."

"Ah. Well, glad he actually gives a damn. He shouldn't bother with the tough act he had on earlier though. This sweeter version seems like someone I could get used to. And the Jolteon?" I asked, pointing a paw at the him. "He's kind of new around here as well. Got here about a week or two before you, same time that mercenary showed up."

"Any chance that mercenary was Wolfe?" "Yep. He showed up, started kicking ass and taking names, and won everyone's respect. Well, everyone but Duke, but I think he was just sore about getting his ass handed to him on a silver platter."

"Wish I could have seen that." I knew firsthand how well Wolfe fought. It would have been hilarious to witness him shaming the leader of this place in front of everyone.

"I know him." said Lura, tapping my shoulder. "Who? The Jolteon or Wolfe?" I asked. "Both, actually. I met Wolfe after he was sent to kill my family. Don't ask, it's a story for another time. We met that Jolteon in the woods on the way here. His name's Artul, and he's pretty fast."

"Good to know. I love a good race." It took me a moment to comprehend everything she said. "Wait a second, YOU'RE Wolfe's mate?"

"Yep! And I'm not the only one! You haven't met his other mate, Cordina, have you? Well, I'm sure one of us will introduce you sometime. Behave, and he may even let you meet the kits, Malik and Keaira."

I ran a paw down my face. "Man… I really have to catch up, don't I?" "What do you mean?" asked Lura. "Well… I knew Wolfe before you, possibly this "Cordina" as well. He was a… family friend."

"Sounds like something long we can talk about. For now, let's deal with whatever this is." came Candy, pointing a paw at Bucke and Artul. I nodded my head in assent, and the three of us began making our way over to the pair. Artul turned his head, possibly because he heard us. His eyes shifted over Lura and Candy, but widened slightly when they crossed me. He whispered something into Bucke's ear, and the Luxray jumped up, quickly turning to face me.

I barely managed to wave a paw in greeting before I was tackled by him. I struggled for a moment, thinking he was attacking me again, but stopped when I realized he was hugging me. The grip got tighter, and I spluttered for a second. "Grip… tightening! Dude, let me go!"

Bucke shook his head and held onto me for another minute. Candy and Lura were on the floor, laughing their asses off yet again, and Artul.. he had disappeared. Probably glad he wasn't the teddiursa bear anymore. Bucke released, and looked over me, checking for injuries. He glared at the splint for a moment, but sat back on his haunches.

"I'm glad you're alright Temna. I was worried I had hurt you." I chuffed. "Well, you kinda did. That wall is made of stone." Bucke blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head with a paw. "Oops. Sorry about that."

"Again, it's alright. Takes a lot more than that to put me down."

Artul appeared then, a small stack of plates on his back. He must have went to the cafeteria, and brought back some food for us to eat. He tapped Bucke's shoulder and, once he had everyone's attention, carefully lowered the stack of plates to the ground. They were each laden with food of all types, ranging from bits of meat to different berries, both sweet and sour. Nodding once, he started placing plates in front of everyone, even managing to have a special plate for Candy, who couldn't eat meat. "Strong, but silent type eh?" I thought to myself, noticing how the whole time he hadn't said anything. "Wonder if he'll answer a direct question…"

When he handed me my plate, I stopped him for a moment. "So, Artul, I hear you're fast." "Yes, I am known for my speed." came the short reply

"Wonderful! We should race sometime. I'm Temna." "Artul." he replied curtly. "I know. Lura told me." I said, gesturing to the Vaporeon, who held up a paw.

"Hey Artul! How are you doing?" she asked happily. "I am well. And you? I heard you and Lura had your kits. I hope they're doing alright." Lura smiled happily at his show of concern. "They are, thank you for asking! Cordina's watching them right now, and they're really very playful. Wolfe's proud, and Malik looks up to him a lot. Wants to be a warrior like his father one day!"

Artul began to reply, but stopped when he noticed something behind us. I turned around, and saw a Luxray who looked a bit like Bucke, with the only exception being the fact that he looked older and wiser making it's way toward us. "That's good to hear." he said, nodding to Lura. Lura turned around, and her smile grew even wider as she hugged the Luxray. He wrapped a massive arm around her and hugged lightly. "Yes, yes, it's good to see you. Oh? Is this a new face I see?"

He looked over at me, and nodded once. "It is good to meet you. I am Derick. Now, sorry to cut this conversation short, but Artul and I must take our leave. He has some training to do, and I would hate for him to miss it." With that, he nodded at Artul and turned away, Artul soon standing up and walking after him. Derick stopped just before he rounded the corner, and looked at me. "By any chance, are you Temna?"

"Depends on who's asking." I said. I've had more than a few people come after me for revenge, so it wouldn't surprise me if he tried as well. "No reason. For me, anyways. Duke would like to talk with you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Any idea why?" "Well, considering what I've heard about you, it probably has something to do either that slaughter in the village, or maybe he wants to question you himself. Perhaps both. Why you took part in it, what can you tell him about their enemies, things like that." He turned away and walked off, leaving me alone again with Candy and Lura, who both turned to me.

Lura and I were both picking at our food, taking time to both enjoy it, and to take out the occasional twig. Candy had already gone through her entire plate, and was rounding on the one Artul had left behind. Ignoring her for the time being, Lura spoke up. "Is there anything you didn't tell Wolfe that you plan on telling Duke? Wolfe was the one who captured you, so I figure he must have been one of the one's who helped interrogate you."

I chewed on a pecha berry for a moment before opening my mouth to reply. "You're correct in assuming that Wolfe was one of the one's interrogating me. In fact, he was the main one. As for me telling Duke something I didn't tell Wolfe, how could I? The only things I knew was the information necessary to complete the jobs. As for the village massacre…. Well, that's gonna be a bitch to explain."

"You're telling me. Why did you kill so many people anyway?" she asked. "I'd rather not say more than once, so stick around while I'm talking to Duke. Speaking of which, let's go. Don't want to piss him off."

I pulled myself to my feet, and Lura did the same. We looked over at Candy, who had just finished on Artul's plate. We stood there for a moment, just watching her before she finally looked up. "...What?" I just shook my head and slid my own unfinished plate over to her. "Here, enjoy. Lura and I'll go talk to Duke. You… finish the plate if you want, but please, take them back to the cafeteria."

She considered that for a moment, then nodded. "Sure. You've got someone watching you, so I guess it's alright." She picked up the plates, tapped Bucke, who had remained silent the whole time, and the two walked out of the other side of the small waiting room.

-!-

Lura and I stood outside of the heavy door that marked the entrance to Duke's quarters. She pushed the door open and I walked in behind her, shutting the door behind the two of us. The interior of the room was dark, mostly because there wasn't a source of natural light in the room. What I could see was visible on because of the light coming from under the door, dim though it was. The room was empty, save for a small bathroom area, as well as a large bedding area. It could have held a rhyhorn.

"May I ask you a question?" came a voice. I turned around in almost a full circle, searching the room for the source of it. Finally, I noticed a dark form perched on the other side of the bedding.

My eyes narrowed as I spoke. "That depends on who's asking." I heard a sigh, and the dark form moved towards us, revealing an Absol. I relaxed, realizing that it was probably Duke, and sat back, Lura taking a similar seating beside me. He sat back on the edge of the bedding and studied me, like I was an interesting little Rattata that had wandered too far from it's hole.

Finally, he spoke. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am-" "Duke? Yes, I know." He gave me a cold look before trying again. "As I was saying, I am Duke, the leader of the-" "Dark Army? Yes, I know that too."

Lura giggled then, and Duke turned to her, a look somewhere between contempt and arrogance crossing onto his face. "Ah Lura, tell me, how are the kits? Little Malik and Keaira, was it? I must pay them a visit sometime. I know they would just adore meeting their grandfather." In a flash, Lura was on her paws, stiffly walking out the door. It was obvious she was trying her hardest not to move in an all-out sprint.

As soon as the door shut behind her, Duke burst out into a raucous laughter. I sat there with my mouth slightly open, shocked. It wasn't blatant, but what he had said what meant either to scare her, or to be taken as an actual threat. That's not something even I would do.

Before I could stop myself, I spoke up. "I know you feel as if I disrespected you or some shit like that, but take it out on me, not Lura. He looked back at me and bared his teeth. "Trust me, depending on how you answer my next few questions, I may not have to." he said in a low growl.

I didn't move, but I kept eye contact with him. "And what do you mean by that?" "I mean if I like your answers, then you'll be working for me."

"And if I refuse?" He gave me a cruel, cold smile. "I can think of quite a few villagers who wouldn't mind some revenge." I rolled my eyes. He had me beat, and we both knew it. "Fine, whatever. Remember, I can't tell you anything I haven't already told Wolfe."

"That's fine. I'm not starting there anyway. Going back to what I said earlier, I want you to tell me about the village you attacked."

"Well… despite what you may think, it wasn't intended to be a slaughter. Originally, we were sent in to find possible sympathizers in the village. Every side has them. Somehow, someone found out what we had planned, and they confronted us at the local pub. We ended up having to fight our way out. There were others outside, just in case the one's sent inside needed help. In the midst of the battle, many people and pokemon panicked, leading to the deaths and injuries of many innocents."

Duke held up a paw. "Hold up. How many innocents did you harm?" "Not a single one. One of the biggest reasons I'm hired as a mercenary or assassin is because I don't miss unless I intend to."

Duke deadpanned. "I find that hard to believe."

"Would you believe me if I said I waited until they came to me before attacking, so that I knew they were enemies?" He sat there for a moment, thinking. Finally, he nodded once. I guess that answer will do. I have a few more questions. About how you operate." Operate? Nice choice of words there Duke.

"Fire away."

"Alright. Can you be paid to keep a secret?" I chuckled at that. "Considering I make sure I have dirt on all my clients in case they get the bright idea to stiff me? Yes, you could say I can be 'paid' to keep a secret."

"Can you be paid to reveal a secret?" "No." I said, shaking my head. "With me, it's first come, first serve, this being the only exception. Furthermore, I also can't be paid to "miss" my target. I'll take out anyone, unless they prove to be either a valuable asset, or someone I actually give a damn about."

"What if I asked you to kill Wolfe? The Umbreon that interrogated you." he said, raising an eyebrow. There wasn't a doubt in my mind when I gave my reply. A resounding "No."

"And the reason being?" Duke asked. "Four, actually. One, he's a valuable asset, given he kicked both me and my teams asses with minimal help. Two, he's someone I give a damn about, even though it's pretty obvious he doesn't know it. I'm not killing anyone who has a connection to my Papa. Three, he works for the group who is potentially hiring my services, making him a comrade-in-arms. So to speak. Now, if it comes to it, I may correct and/or discipline a comrade given he is wrong or trailing, but I will not kill them."

"That makes sense. And your fourth reason?" "He kicked my ass once, indirectly at that. I'm not even going to try to beat him, unless we're fighting in the arena. Probably not even then, because the only person I want to fight in the arena is you."

He laughed again. "You do realize I'd beat you, right?"

This time, I deadpanned. "I think you underestimate me. You think you had it bad when the mercenary you hired beat your butt in the arena? One touch, and I'll have you on your side in pain, begging for mercy." Duke bristled at the mention of his loss to Wolfe, but he didn't lash out. Instead, he just took a deep breath in and slowly let it out.

"One last thing for us to discuss. How do you prefer to be paid?" he said in an annoyed voice. "Easy. I am to be paid after the contract is complete, that way you know I'm not going to leave you high and dry."

My answer must have been acceptable, because the Absol thought for only a short moment before nodding again. "That settles it. You're hired."

I paused, a little suspicious. "...Just like that?" "Just like that. Well, there is one condition. Until I feel you can be trusted, after each of your missions, you'll report directly to me." I nodded my head in agreement. "That's fine. But there's one other thing…" I held up my leg that was in a splint, and waggled it in front of his face. Duke rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll give you some time to heal up, train, and get used to your partner before sending you on a mission. By the way, for every successful mission, you'll receive a ten pound sack of pokedollars."

My eyes widened at the amount after I had added it up in my head. "That's more than enough, thank you! But wait a second, what was that about a partner?"

"Everyone new who I send out always has a partner to travel with them. For example, Wolfe's first mission was with a Vulpix named Gale. Let's see… You're relatively young, overly confident to the point of arrogance, have… okay morals, and you like to fight… Got it. You'll meet your new partner tomorrow, as soon as you wake up."

At that, he stood up and held out a paw. I shook it, and he opened the door. Stepping out, he looked back at me and tilted his head. "Walk with me."

I nodded my head and stepped out into the hallway, seeing Candy waiting on us. "Hello Candy. Where were you when Lura and Temna came to my quarters?" Her face paled upon hearing Duke, but she gave him an honest reply. "I was indisposed of at the moment. Temna asked me to carry a few trays back to the cafeteria, and since Lura was with us, I believed it would be alright."

"Why didn't you give the trays to Lura? She would have gladly done it." he asked. "Because I also believed Temna might like to get to know her." she replied, gesturing to me. Duke took a moment to acknowledge a trio of guards that we passed, but then he spoke up again.

"Candy, despite the fact that you left your post briefly, out of everyone here, you and your partner Bucke have known Temna the longest. What is your opinion of him?"

Candy looked down and picked at her ear in thought. "Hmm… he's not a threat, if that's what you mean. I'd recommend not touching him, if what happened earlier in Mimi's ward is anything to go by. Personality-wise, he is needlessly aggressive at times."

"Hey!"

"Let me finish. He's needlessly aggressive at times, but he can be friendly. He's also a bit of a smartass. Still, he has several redeeming qualities that are exploitable."

Exploitable? I thought to myself. It took a moment, but I focused back on the conversation. "Such as?" came Duke. "He'd make a very good interrogator, because he keeps a level head unless someone is in his personal space. Quick reactions, obviously. He would do very well as a scout."

"How do you know any of this? Did you fight him?" he said, looking at me skeptically. "No. I'm going by what happened in the ward."

"Which was?" Candy began to speak, but blushed. She tried again, but was interrupted. "I think I can answer that." came a light feminine voice from behind us. We turned around to see a tall, purple Gardevoir making her way toward us.

"Ah, Nurse Mimi, how have you been?" asked Duke, taking a few steps towards the Gardevoir. "Just fine Duke. Thank you for asking. Now, you're name is Temna, if I read your charts right." she said, turning to me. "Do you mind explaining why there is a Sylveon frozen to the ceiling in my ward?"

I looked at Candy, and she looked at me. We lasted two seconds before falling onto the ground, wallowing in laughter.

-!-

 **Well, this is… alright. I'm not exactly proud of myself, because I wanted a longer chapter, but… I'll live. Sorry if this is a little late for you guys. Ran a little longer writing than I expected. Again, thank you Aurumn48, for being a big help in this chapter. Same to you Toxic. Sorry if I bullied your character a little too much. The post will be closing soon, so make sure you get your votes in! If you don't know how, there should be a link on my profile. I'll let you guys know what wins come the update for the next chapter, which will be up a week after this. Have a good day, night, whatever. And remember: Never stop reading and writing!**

 **P.S. It's just under 8,000 words, making the average chapter length around 10,000 words!**


	3. Partners in Crime

**Hello everyone! Here's the next installment in my series,** _ **Temna**_ **, so please, enjoy! I figure there are a few of you who read ToxicMachamp's story as well as mine, so I apologize for the slight bashing of his character, especially to you Toxic. But, this chapter may remedy that.**

 **Anyways, this chapter should make up for it. That's what I have planned at least. I'm typing this up before I even begin typing on the actual story, so I have no clue how this works out in the end. MxF won the poll, soooo….. the first lemon will either be this chapter or the next, depending on how it all works out. Nothing is definite, I learned that quickly.**

 **Aurumn48, as always, has been a big help, so thank you for that bro.**

 **Alright, there is one last thing. Another friend of mine, The Misrepresented, has just breached the 100,000 word mark on his story. (Props for that bro.) Be sure to check it out, because it contains what seems to be everyones favorite thing in the world: Politics, sex, more politics, Military scenes, even more Politics, and let's not forget the ever important POLITICS. All in all, it's a really good read. (Though we don't agree on everything.) His story goes by the name** _ **The Reaper,**_ **and it details the life and adventure of Michael Higgs, a man who joined the Reapers (Basically our SEALS) to help fight against crimes like sex trafficking, the drug industry, and many of the unmentionable things that go bump in the night. Anyways, it's an amazing story, so please be sure to check it out.**

 **Actually, this is the last thing. A teacher whom I was very good friends with died yesterday. (5/14) He… was a very religious person (Very accepting of others beliefs as well), and he loved to tell stories. Like, a lot. We never learned anything in his class, but everyone loved him. I remember one time, we got into a friendly debate over whether donald trump would make a good president or not. Before he actually ran! I decided that in honor of his memory, I'm going to include him in the story, either as a preacher or missionary of sorts, or as a storyteller for the young in the Dark Army base. He would have liked that.**

 **Shadow Eclipse Alicorn- Bro, if you want that, then you're in luck. As I said earlier, expect it either in this chapter, or the next. Probably this one.**

 **Anyways, on with the damn story, I'm sure you didn't come to see me rambling.**

 **-!-**

 **(Temna POV)**

Two years into my life as a mercenary, one of my targets asked me a question: Did it bother me when I killed, regardless of whether they were innocent or not? His question stuck with me, and still has to this day. Of all the last words the man could have chosen, he didn't request anything of me. No, he wanted to know if it bothered me to kill.

In truth? It did, or rather does. I killed well over 100 people and pokemon within a period of five years, on an average of two contracts a month, all before I fought for the Memories. Then, that number easily doubled. I remember every single one of them. Their faces before they knew I was coming, the fear in their eyes when they realized the danger they were in, and the pleading of their mouths as I brought a shard of ice down mercilessly.

That man is the only reason I spare anyone at all, for he is the one who made me question myself: " _Is this right?_ " If I was honest, I don't know, nor will I ever. But, since Papa died, it's been the only thing I know. So I will continue, in spite of the pain and heartache it causes me.

Valencia offers consolation from time to time though. On long nights, when I have nightmares about my victims, she will visit me in my sleep. With her, the nightmares fade for a little while, and nothing exists except for me, floating in an endlessly empty void. I never see her, but I know she's there, because each time I feel her warm embrace. She loves me, that much is obvious. But do I feel the same? I don't know that either, because I don't know what love is. There is much I don't know, but when sleep does come, that means there is plenty of time to contemplate.

That's where I lay now. While my physical form lay down in bed, more than likely receiving a restless sleep, I dream of the endless void. Endless… Endless… Ending.

-!-

 **Note: Trying a different kind of writing. Gonna shift to 3rd person, see if it works better for me.**

Temna grunted lightly as something impacted his side. He rolled over and looked up to see Duke standing over him, a rather annoyed expression on his face.

"...Can I help you?" he asked in a sleepy voice.

Duke scoffed. "You can, actually. By getting off your ass!" Temna deadpanned. Duke didn't really scare him, but he found it bothersome. "Ugh. What is so important that you have to interrupt my sleep, little it is?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe meeting your partner? How can you even sleep with the sounds coming from down the hall?"

Honestly a good question. Once Temna was deemed _slightly_ trustworthy, he was given a room of his own, unfortunately on the opposite side of the hall of a very... active... couple. Their room was the source of the noise, and he was kept up the first part of the night by the multitude of noises coming from it. Granted, that wouldn't have changed what happened when he eventually did fall asleep.

Temna shook his head. "Luck, and a little prayer. Now give me a moment. I need a moment to stretch, and then we can go meet my partner. As you can see, I'm _so_ excited."

Duke nodded his head, then stepped out into the hall, giving him time to get ready. Temna stretched slightly, then sat back. He turned his head and slowly picked through his flat fur, removing bits of straw from the bedding he lay on earlier. Finally, he stood up and walked out of the room, popping various joints as he took steps. A quick glance to the side revealed Duke keeping pace with him, then passing him to walk in front.

"May I ask where we're going?" called Temna. Duke looked back at him slightly before continuing. "Not far. Just to another living wing. Your partner, as of late, is apparently just as lazy as you."

"Lazy? I'm not lazy."

"It's two in the afternoon."

Temna stopped himself. Since when did he sleep that late? _Probably Valencia again. She did want me to rest some, and not "overexert" myself._ A moment later, he could feel her presence in his mind. _Don't blame me for your own laziness. I said "overexert yourself". I'm not going to control when you wake up._ He shook his head, quickly dismissing the thought, then ran to catch up to Duke. Together, they rounded the corner, revealing a hallway much like the one Temna's home was on. Unlike his however, this one looked older, and each of the rooms obviously belonged to someone, judging by the amount of accessories surrounding each entrance. Two of the rooms had doors on them, and Duke walked up to the second, banging on the dark wood. On the fifth bang, the door creaked open slightly, revealing a familiar female Weavile, who looked rather tired.

"What do you want Duke?" she asked, rubbing the back of one of her claws over her eyes. "Can't you see it's my day off?"

"Not anymore. Meet your new partner. Get familiar with him, you two have a mission in a week." At that, he stepped out of her line of sight, revealing Temna, who sat there with a stunned expression on his face.

She looked him over briefly, before noticing his expression. "What? Have I got something on my face?" Temna didn't reply to that, but instead gave a hopeful, "A-Audrina?"

Audrina looked confused briefly, before a stunned expression crossed her own face. "No way… Glaceon? Is that you?"

He smiled happily. "It's Temna now, but yes. The one and the same."

As one, the two ran at each other before embracing, Temna getting knocked onto his back by the speed of the slightly larger Pokemon. Audrina pulled back after a moment, holding him at arms length.

Giving no warning, she kissed his short muzzle as hard as she could before embracing him again.

Temna blushed at her abrupt contact, but rubbed her back lightly with a paw. He could understand why she reacted the way she did. She had missed him, obviously a lot. He smelled her fur, catching a chilly mint scent. Yeah… He had missed her just as much.

"Ahem."

Audrina and Temna both blushed before releasing each other and turning to face Duke, who looked at the duo with a raised eyebrow.

"It would seem you two already know each other quite well. Since we're all so wonderfully acquainted, we won't need to waste time on introductions, and you can explain how that is."

Audrina, who was now fully awake, leaned back against the stone wall, Temna soon following suit on the ground. She spoke up first, Temna electing to listen in alongside Duke. "That might be a little easier for Gla-, er, Temna, to explain, but I'll try my best. I came here from the village above the dark army base, near the top of the Doxah Mountains. Temna lived on top of the mountain with a man named Francis, who took care of him. I used to work as a food vendor, before my home was destroyed in a fire that ravaged a fair part of the town. My siblings and I left town, seeking shelter at their home, only to find an empty house with a pile of dead pokemon outside of it. Winter would be rolling through soon, and we had nowhere to go, so we stayed there for a while. After food stores ran out, my brother, sister, and I, we had a fight. We broke apart, and my brother and sister left, trying to find their own way. I was left alone, and... "

Audrina began to tear up slightly at that point, and Temna leaned against her side, in an effort to console her. This time, he spoke up.

"The pile of dead pokemon was a group hired to kill my Papa, and we managed to fight them off, though not without loss. He was killed, and much like Audrina, I was left alone. For reasons my own, I trained to fight, and became a well known mercenary in the upper area of the country. Soon after the plague struck the major cities, the Memories hired me to fight for them. The rest, as they say, is history."

Audrina, who had spent a little time stroking Temna's fur (not that he minded) to calm herself down, blushed slightly and spoke up again. "I actually had a bit of an interest in him later on, before he disappeared. We had been friends all his life, and most of mine. I was beginning to… have feelings for him."

Duke let out a little laugh then, and smiled. "Beginning to? From what a saw not a moment ago, those feelings are still there. And, judging by how he reacted, he feels just the same. The grim, sorrowful expression in his eyes just… disappeared, at least for a moment."

Temna and Audrina both blushed again, causing Duke to snicker. "Hehe. That's cute. You two do whatever you want with each other, as long as it doesnt interfere with your training. Remember, you both leave on mission in a week, so I expect you to be ready. Duel some, learn each other's fighting styles, whatever you need to do, save kill each other. I've got some business to take care of, but I will be checking in occasionally."

With that, he turned around and walked away. Audrina watched him and, once he rounded the corner, turned to Temna, bugging him once more. He nuzzled into her, and the two stood there for a moment, not a single thing bothering them.

"What happened to you Temna? After I showed Elisia the bodies, and we couldn't find you or Francis, we thought you might have been killed... or worse." asked Audrina, still refusing to release the Glaceon.

He tried to pull out of her grasp and, upon failing, sighed. "I can answer, but I just woke up, same as you. I'm hungry. If you'll let me go, we can head to the cafeteria and I'll explain everything there." He tried once more to pull out, and this time succeeded.

Audrina stood up and rubbed the back of her neck, slightly embarrassed. "Oops. Sorry about that. I've just... missed you. Can you blame me though? It has been at least five years, and I thought you were dead."

"It's fine. But that's all the more reason for us to catch up. At the cafeteria. Do you mind leading the way? I still haven't managed to make my way there in recent times.

Smiling, Audrina nodded her head and turned, walking toward the exit Duke had just used. Temna followed, and a few moments later, the duo rounded the corner.

-!-

"Well. That was a bit of a walk." remarked Temna, as they stopped in front of the entrance. Audrina nodded her head in agreement. "Don't I know it. This place is a lot bigger than most realize. I've been working on the Dark Army two years, and I still haven't met everyone and gone everywhere in the damn thing."

"Two years? Wow..." Temna replied, pushing open the door. He allowed Audrina to pass him into the cageteria, then looked up to check out his surroundings. He was in an average sized cafeteria, and from what he could tell, it was divided into two parts, half of it for the carnivores and omnivores, and the other for the herbivores. They walked to a small table in the first half, and she tapped him on the shoulder.

"You chill here. I'll go get us some food." Temna just let out a little snort in reply. It took her a moment, but she caught herself. "Hehe. No pun intended." With that, she turned around and walked away, heading towards the short line that made up the carnivores and omnivores.

Temna was left alone for the moment, but that lasted for all of two seconds before a certain familiar Sylveon sat down across from him, its head down. Toxy. Temna watched him warily for nearly a full minute before he let out a sigh.

"What do you want Toxy?"

"..." is all he could hear.

"I can't hear you. Speak up."

"I said I'm sorry." he said, this time looking up at Temna. "I shouldn't have done what I did. I just can't help myself sometimes. You looked so cute, and I-"

"Not... really helping your case." came Temna, cutting him off. The Sylveon's head dropped down again, and Temna regretted interrupting. He looked down as well, thinking.

 _Is he being truthful? Should I even consider trusting him? He does look like he feels bad about it... Fuck it._

"I'm probably going to regret this, but it's fine Toxy. I forgive you." Immediately, his head popped back up, amixed look of confusion and amazement on his face.

"Really? Thank you! I thought you might still be mad at me."

"Well, to be honest, I'm still a little agitated about it, but it's fine. I'll deal. Say, when did you wake up? And how long did that ice last?

"I don't think it was long after you, Lura, and Candy left. Some purple Gardevoir woke me up and asked me what I was doing hanging from the ceiling. We couldn't get rid of the ice, so I must have been there for... five hours? Eh."

"Only five? Jeez, I need to work on that... Where is Candy anyway?"

"Speak of Giratina, and he shall appear." came Candy's voice from behind them. Temna turned around to see Candy standing there with a paw on her hip, and a vegetarian tray in the other. "You called? Wanted to take me up on that offer for fun?"

Toxy snorted and fell out of his seat laughing, and Temna just sat there with his mouth wide open. Then he felt another tap on his shoulder, and he turned to see Audrina standing there, a huge tray filled with their favorite berries, as well as a whole roasted linoone. Looking up at her face, he could see an amused expression written across it. _Shit. I think she heard that._

"Fun huh? And when were you going to tell me you had a... playmate?" _Yep._ Temna blushed furiously and tried to stutter out an answer, but Audrina had set the tray down and held up a claw.

"Don't worry about it. None of my business anyways. However, I wouldn't mind going at it sometime. Kinda obvious I still like you."

Slowly, Temna brought his head down to the table and began banging it lightly against the wood surface. That marked the third time someone had offered him sex in the past two days, fourth if he included Toxy. Admittedly, he had known Audrina before, and she had shown interest in him at the time. But why? He definitely wasn't the most attractive 'mon around. That, in his honest opinion, went to Audrina.

Said Pokémon, as well as Candy, let out a giggle. "Well, I'll leave you two alone for a little while. Bucke asked me to lunch outside, so I've got a date to keep. See you later Temna." She turned around and began walking toward the hopeful looking Luxray, who was waiting at the entrance. She threw a goodbye wave over her shoulder, and Toxy took that as his cue to get up as well. He shot a wink at Temna, then skipped off, a cheerful "goodbye floating off of him.

And so, Temna and Audrina were alone once more, a rather awkward silence filling the air between them. Audrina was the one to break it, clearing her throat.

"So... those your friends?"

"Eh, more or sylveon is a maybe, but Candy kind of... picked me, I guess. Why?"

"No reason..." she replied, using one of her claws to slice off a large chunk from the linoone. She handed it to Temna on a small plate with berries, then spoke up again. "Its just... You're really dense, you know?"

"What makes you say that? Other than the obvious." he asked, gesturing to the food.

"Very funny. But that's not what I meant."

"Then what?"

"That lopunny." she said, as if she were stating the obvious. Which, more than likely, she was.

"Candy? What about her?" he asked, more than a little confused.

"She likes you. I can't exactly tell if it's a full on romantic like, but she sees something in you, and she wants it, if you catch my drift."

"She does? Geez, I thought she was just messing with me. Either way, she knows what'll happen if she doesn't ask first."

"Oh, she can ask all she wants. I however-" she paused and leaned down next to him. "Don't need to." With that, she licked the tip of his ear, pulling back to see a pink-faced Temna. But he wasn't embarrassed.

"W-whatever...", he stuttered out. Out loud, Audrina let out a giggle. "Your face says different."

"I'm going to ignore that... I said I'd answer whatever questions you had, so let's hear them."

"I only have one, because I don't really want to know what happened in the village."

Temna's eyebrow raised. "How do you know about that? I haven't said anything to you about it, and I'm pretty sure it was a "mission" that got me captured.

"Pfft. Yes, it's definitely a secret, of sorts. Doesn't mean I don't hear things. Now how is it you came to be a mercenary? More so, where did you get the skills? From what I remember, Francis sheltered you from all that."

"That he did. Papa was a good person, and he didn't want my personality to change from all the conflict that comes with the mercenary lifestyle. Unfortunately for him, that's what happened. To answer your question, it's what I turned to after Papa was killed. At first, I was driven by revenge. Now, it's the only thing I know. As for how I got the skills, a… teacher took me under her wing. Taught me everything I know. She even went as far as to give me a few aces up my sleeve, so to speak."

"Don't be arrogant. And really? Who is this person?" Audrina asked, curious.

"That's… personal information." In truth, he didn't tell her because he didn't feel like explaining he wasn't crazy.

"Temna…" she said, her eyes softening. "You've never kept secrets from me. Why now?"

"Believe me, I would tell you if I could. But I don't know if that would place you in danger or not. Audrina, there are some things people and pokemon are not meant to know. Understand?"

She nodded once, and he smiled. "Good. Well, if that's all, what is there to do for fun around here?"

Audrina stood up then, the tray in her grasp. "Come on. I'll show you."

-!-

"So. What are we doing today?" Audrina asked, turning to face Temna. He tilted his head in thought, before nodding once. "In terms of a workout, not much. I heal faster than normal, but my leg is still healing."

He held up the injured forelimb, moving it gently. "I'm going to need to use today to finish healing up, so the only thing I'll be doing is meditation. Which means-"

"I'm free to do whatever?"

"...Yes and no. Yes, because you're probably going to do so anyway, no because you still need to do some training. The only reason I came out of my room is because I was hungry, and you would have dragged me out anyways." said Temna, giving her a knowing look.

Audrina nodded. "You know it. Got anywhere special you need to go to 'meditate?'"

"Outside, preferably. But I don't think Duke will let that happen. He probably still doesn't trust me enough to not run back to the memories. So like I said, I'll be in my room meditating. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'll need to be left alone."

She smirked at that. "It's meditation. I get it. See you tomorrow Temna. You'll be learning how I fight. Then the next day, vice versa. Oh, and one more thing."

She grabbed Temna's paw, touching it to the stone in her forehead, and his eyebrow raised. "What's this?"

"A little gift from me to you." came Audrina's voice from within his mind. Now he jumped, a little surprised. "A psychic link? But you're a dark type. This shouldn't even be possible…

"I don't know how it works. I've always been able to do it though. The link is weak and can be severed, but we can converse if need be.

"Neat. I'm a little surprised it worked though. Psychic type moves usually have no affect on me unless it's a strong pokemon."

"Again with the arrogance… But that's good to know. Now shoo. I've got to work on my speed, and I can't do that with you here." She gave Temna a small hug, and the two parted, Audrina heading somewhere she could run, and Temna to his room.

-!-

The next day, as planned, Temna and Audrina headed to the training arena, where she planned to show him her skills. The next two days were crucial, as they would be learning how each other fights.

Soon, they were at the arena, and Audrina was making ready to fight her first opponent. It was a flareon who had just evolved. The poor 'mon clearly wasn't ready for combat; he didn't even look like he knew any fire type attacks yet. He apparently did though, because when Audrina rushed him, he panicked and began shooting several embers one after another in her direction. Audrina simply jumped over the stream, kicking him in the head as she passed over his body. The Flareon stumbled forward, managing two steps before collapsing at Temna's feet. He nosed the Flareon, seeing if he was alright. He was unconscious. Audrina turned around and, upon seeing the prone body, frowned.

"Come on… I expected more of a fight than that…"

One of the guards, a Pangoro, pushed the small Flareon to the edge beside Temna, then turned, facing Audrina. "And you shall have it, young one. I must teach you not to be arrogant and overconfident in your abilities."

Audrina let out a scoff, then charged the supposed teacher. He took a swipe at her, but missed as she slid between his legs. She quickly turned around, slashing the backs of his knee joints and severing his hamstrings. The giant roared out in pain, falling to his knees. Immediately a Cadabra rushed in, declaring the match over. He used heal pulse on the Pangoro, and after a minute, it stood back up, walking back to the sidelines as another defeated.

"Just sad…" came Audrina, shaking her head. A small crowd had gathered by then, and they were muttering amongst themselves. Whispers of "Arrogant" and "Ass" could be heard among them. Finally, Temna had enough, both of the rumors and of Audrina's noncaring attitude.

"I'll fight you." he said, stepping forward.

Audrina turned and looked at him, a little surprised.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to be watching me fight to learn-" "Your fighting style, I know. But what better way to do that than to actually fight you?" "What, and me toss you around like a ragdoll?" came Audrina, who was still surprised.

"Please. You couldn't hurt me if you tried." said Temna, getting into a ready stance.

"Again with the arrogance..." Nevertheless, Audrina crouched into a ready position of her own.

Along the sidelines, the small group was taking bets among themselves."I got fifty poke on the Weavile." muttered a Delphox. "Always with the Bipeds… I'll take that fifty and double it in the Glaceon's favor." responded an Absol, glancing over Temna's body. A Mienshao, ever the wise in terms of combat, shook its head. "The Weavile is dual-typed. She has more than one natural advantage over him. Even if he can overcome that, he'll have to at least match her speed if he wants a chance of winning. It may also come down to whoever has more stamina."

As it turned out, he could. The two rushed each other straight out of the gates. Temna attempted to headbutt her, as part of his plan was to disable her as quickly. Audrina, believing she could outlast Temna, planned to wear him down over time. Glaceon's in general aren't generally known for their combat capabilities, nor their speed, so she figured she could outlast him.

As they passed each other, she flipped over his head and brought her claws down, leaving shallow cuts in his sides. They turned again, and Temna glanced back, checking the injury. It wasn't serious, but a single line of blood fell from one of the cuts. _Damn it. I'm gonna have to clean that up later._

Disregarding the injury, he charged her again, this time keeping low. Sure enough, Audrina met his charge, running even faster at the Glaceon with her claws thrown out at her sides. She made to flip over him a second time, but Temna jumped, his hard forehead impacting her gut. They both heard the whoosh of her breath as she practically bounced off of him. Still though, she landed in a roll, throwing a claw out to the side to both balance herself, and to ward off any attackers while she regained her breath.

Temna, not really wanting to feel the claws on his hide again, disregarded the warning. He rushed straight at her, and Audrina looked up just in time to catch another face full of a headbutt. Temna, however arrogant he was at times, was restraining himself. Groups of opponents? He may not have. But this was a sole opponent, and he'd rather not risk his childhood friend serious harm.

Audrina flew backwards again, crashing through a straw training dummy and impacting the wall on the far side of the arena. Temna and a Gallade in a medical uniform both rushed over, checking to see if she was was alright. From what Temna judged, he had put way too much force into his headbutt. She definitely didn't look like she was getting up anytime soon. But, as always, she proved him wrong. Her eyes snapped open, and she grabbed the scruff of Temna's neck before popping her knee up and slamming it into his jaw. The poor Gallade was sent flying backwards from the force of the action, slamming into the arena wall and slumping. He was the only one out of the three that was actually unconscious.

Audrina yanked Temna in a circle around herself before sending him a fair distance away from herself with a kick. He landed, somehow managing to stay on his feet before shaking once and turning to face Audrina again. Slowly, keeping his eyes on Audrina, he began to back away from her.

Her eyebrow raised, but she didn't back up. Instead, she took up a defensive position with her claws crossed over her upper body, waiting for Temna's next attack.

Perfect. His eyes flashed once, and the red rings around his irises turned a bright blue, almost white. He slammed his forepaws into the ground, and instantly the room grew colder. Pillars of ice came out of the ground, beelining towards Audrina. She watched the pillars carefully, tensing up and jumping. She landed on the first pillar, running towards Temna. Unfortunately for her, he had planned for this. Two pillars away from him, the ice gave way under Audrina, and she sunk into the pillar. Before she could pull herself out, Temna fired a quick ice beam at the pillar, refreezing the ice around her. Before she knew it, she was surrounded up to her arms in ice.

Temna casually approached the pillar, for once exuding an air of confidence. He watched the Weavile struggle, who pushed against the ice with all her might. While she normally would have cut herself out by then, she couldn't do so without risking causing herself harm.

He chuffed. "Don't bother. You're not going to break that ice." She looked down at him, growled once, then began her struggle anew. A few moments later, they both heard it. _*Crack*_

"Well, maybe she can." He thought to himself. He quickly fired a shadow ball at Audrina, but because he didn't take the time to aim, he hit the ice directly below her. That was all it took. The ice shattered, and Audrina practically flew out of it at Temna. He didn't have a chance to react as her heel slammed into his chest, sending him flying backwards. He hit the wall, and with a gasp, collapsed onto the ground, soon losing consciousness.

-!-

Temna woke up a short time later, in the familiar medical wing. The purple Gardevoir he had met previously was standing over him, slowly wrapping a bandage around his side. Looking at his face, she tsked once.

"You can help but come back here, can you? Who do you plan on freezing this time? One of your visitors?" she said. Temna, still shocked that he had lost, turned his head. There was an Absol with a red crest and face watching him, as well as Toxy. He was standing in the entrance, either being wary of Temna's ice, or perhaps showing a form of respect. For a moment, Temna guessed that Audrina had not come for whatever reason. But after a moment, he heard a little chuckle. He turned again to see the Weavile sitting on the bed across from him, She had a similar bandage around her ankle.

Finally, Temna managed to respond. "No one, if I can help it. Toxy, come on. I'm not going to freeze you again." The Sylveon breathed a quick sigh of relief before making his way toward Temna, a smile plastered onto his face.

"I saw the fight!" he chirped, hopping up onto the bed beside him.

"You did? Well, now you and I both know not to underestimate a pissed off Weavile." responded Temna, gesturing with a paw to the smirking Audrina.

"Hey, she didn't get away without being hurt. She sprained her ankle kicking you across the arena."

"... While that doesn't exactly cheer me up, I thank you for trying. So, how long was I down?" The Absol chose to speak up then, sitting down in front of him. " A couple of hours. Duke whined about some mission involving the two of you, so my new job is to keep the two of you out of trouble for the next few days."

Temna head tilted. "And you are? I think I saw you in the arena, but I'm not sure..." The Absol nodded its head. "Indeed you have. My name is Iah. (eye-uh) And you owe me 100 poke."

Temna cringed. "Why do I owe you- you know what, I don't even want to know. Audrina, how's the foot?"

"Eh, could be better. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to get us out of our mission. How is your chest?" she asked, pointing to the bandages on his chest.

"I don't know, I haven't asked. Um, nurse…"

"Call me Mimi. Everyone else does." remarked the purple Gardevoir. She was tending to an unconscious Mightyena, but still, she turned to face Temna.

"Your injuries are almost enough to get you out of your mission, but it's not that easy. Your leg cracked again, this time near the joint. Somehow though it's already healed up. If you heal this fast, then you should be able to take those bandages off of your bruised ribs in a day or two. Other than a lot of strain in your muscles, I can't detect anything. I would block the pain you'll feel in your mind, but it's blocked off to my psychic influence. Any psychic influence, for that matter."

"Something I trained for." said Temna simply, hopping off the bed. He winced as he landed. His ribs were definitely bruised. He could feel it when he landed.

Audrina grabbed a crutch that lay beside her on the bed, and gingerly hopped off after him. Iah and Toxy followed, and wordlessly, they all headed for the Cafeteria.

-!-

( **Time skip the rest of the week, because writers block is a bitch. Imma prolly fix this later.)**

The rest of the week passed normally for Temna. True to her word, Temna felt completely better a couple of days later, giving everyone plenty of time to get to know each other better. More for Iah than anyone else, they learned that she came from a rather large family, from the other side of the southern border. She was forced to leave because her family hated her. She believed it was because of how she looked, given she was the first red Absol any of them had seen. They soon figured out that that was not the case. Iah was hated, not for her looks, but rather her beliefs (or lack thereof.). She didn't believe in the Alpha pokemon, or any of the other faiths in the world. She was, for all intents and purposes, an atheist. Temna had no problem with that. In fact, until he had met Valencia, he hadn't really believed in anything either. Iah now stood guard outside Duke's room, where she was pretending not to listen in on their conversation.

"So what do you have for us?" Audrina asked, propping her feet up on the table. Duke looked at them, then back at her once, before sighing.

"In the way of fighting, not much. You and Temna will be taking a little trip down memory lane with this one." He said, eyes staring back at Audrina's own. "There is a contact for the Dark Army in every major area of the nation, with a few outliers in the border nations. Recently, our contact in the village Daric in the Doxah mountains went dark. I need you two to find out what happened to her, and if necessary, kill her."

""Not a problem. But why would we need to kill her? Moreso, who is she?" asked Temna.

"Because it wouldn't be the first time one has gone rogue. Our contacts aren't always officially part of the Dark Army, so they have tried to cheat us from time to time. Emphasis on tried. As for her name, Elisia."

Temna and Audrina looked at each other then, exchanging nervous looks. The only Elisia that lived in Daric, or in this case, near it, was the Houndoom that they both knew. Someone they had not seen in around ten years. They both didn't want to kill her, but they had different points of view about it. Temna, per his code, and perhaps personal reasons, didn't want to kill someone he gave a damn about. Audrina, while she didn't want to harm her either, was conflicted. The Dark Army had taken her in, fed her, given her a place to lie her head at night... She honestly did not know what to think, or do for that matter.

"Is there a problem?" asked Duke, interrupting both of their trains of thought.

"...No. Nothing we can't handle." said Audrina, speaking up for the both of them.

"Good. You leave in a couple of hours. Audrina, you've been on missions like this before. I expect you to show Temna the ropes. And try not to get him killed.

"I told you, I was stuck in an Ariados web. How was I supposed to know we were being ambushed?"

"Be that as it may," continued Duke, rolling his eyes. "You'll need to keep him, and yourself, in line. Try and stay on the discreet side of things. No doubt there will be people and pokemon who recognize you when you arrive, so you must keep your true purpose's a secret."

"Alright. I usually try to keep to myself anyways, so that won't be a problem." responded Temna. Duke and Audrina both turned to him, eyebrows raised.

"You've been here for a little over a week, and you've made a fair sized group of friends. What part of that is keeping to yourself?" said Duke.

Temna deadpanned then. "The only 'friends' I've made are a Lopunny named Candy, a Luxray named Bucke, a Sylveon named Toxy, and a red Absol named Iah. One of them almost killed me, another felt me up, and two were assigned to me as guards. Not exactly me coming to them."

"Point made. On that note, Iah! I know you're listening, so come in here." said Duke, looking at the door. Said door slowly opened as the Absol in question nosed her way in.

"Yes, Duke?" she asked, a blush from being caught visible on her face.

"Inform the sentries at the entrance of three going on mission. They can be expected back within a week's time. Wait there when you're done."

"Yes sir." she said, before turning around and walking out of the room. Temna turned from her retreating form back to Duke, before tilting his head in curiosity.

"You said three. Is she coming with us?"

"That's what I intend." responded Duke, before pulling out a map of the village. "A week's time. That gives you a day to make the trip up the mountain, five days to complete the mission, and a day to make it back. You're both ice types, so I expect you to be able the trip just fine."

 _"Damnit."_ came Audrina's voice from inside his head. He turned from Duke, who was focused on a small map of the village, to Audrina. She was glancing between him and Duke.

 _"What's wrong?"_ he asked in his head, mentally directing it toward Audrina.

 _"I was hoping for a little… private time with you, Temna."_ she responded, her tone slightly more depressed.

Temna blushed at that, but responded with a little jest of his own. _"He gave us five days to deal with something I normally can handle in two. We'll get two rooms at the inn and have 'fun' then."_

"Are you two even listening?" snapped Duke, a cold glare on his face. The two turned to him abruptly.

"Yep. Got the gist of it." said Audrina, nodding her head.

"Good. You leave in twenty minutes. But since you were listening, you already knew that."

-!-

Temna and Audrina walked towards the entrance of the Dark Army's base. She was chatting him up about what and who they might run into on the mission, but was electing to avoid discussing Elisia. That would probably be a sensitive topic for a while, because Duke had essentially ordered them to kill the pokemon who acted like a mother to them for years. Granted, there was the possibility of her being injured or something. Not that that exactly appealed to them either. Soon, they arrived at the entrance. A familiar Lopunny and Luxray stood there, waiting with two sentries and Iah, who looked bored.

"Well, look who finally showed up." said Candy, holding up a paw. "You left your poor friend waiting. I was running out of ways to pick at her."

"Aw, you came to see us off? How sweet of you." responded Temna, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You wish. I just came to tell you that you might have a surprise from me and Bucke when you get back."

"A surprise?" he asked, his voice now skeptical.

She just giggled at him. "You'll have to wait and see." she said, leaning down close to his ear. "But I think you'll enjoy it very much…"

She stood back up then, but stopped smiling when she saw the angry glare of Audrina.

"...I think I'd better go." she said then, slowly walking away. Bucke, after taking a moment to nod at Temna and Audrina, followed suit.

"You ready to go?" came Iah, who was looking between the two and the sentries, who looked very impatient. After receiving confirming nods from both Temna and Audrina, she turned to the Gardevoir sentry closest to the door. She nodded once, then slowly began pushing the giant

piece of rock that made up the entrance out and to the side. As one, the three stepped into the morning sunlight, ready to take on whatever befell them.

 **Wooo! Finally done with the chapter, and at 4 in the morning (Seriously. I pumped two days in a row to finishing it)! I know I told a few of you that there would most likely be a lemon in this chapter via private message, but... shit happens I guess. Regardless, it definitely will happen in the next one. This chapter was shorter than I wished it could be, and I definitely did NOT like the writing, but I had to put something out for you guys. Also, I apologize for the delay. WAY past my o.g. deadline, I know, but would you believe I had setback after setback? First came a set of deaths in the family, something I don't wish to talk about. Then the device I was writing on got a virus, literally erasing the entire chapter as I was getting ready to finish it. (I use google docs, so I was able to replace it about a week later.) During all of this, my family moved, so I've been a fair bit busy with that. Let's see... Credit to EatmyKitty for getting me up off my ass to finish the chapter. Same goes to Misrepresented, WolvenRepublic, and Aurumn48. You guys are awesome. Anyway, I'm already working on the next chapter while you're reading this, dear reader who actually pays attention to A/N's. I'm hoping to have it out withing the next three weeks. You'll see what has befallen Temna and his new partners Audrina and Iah. What happens in Daric? What will befall Elisia? Find out next time in _"Temna_ ". This is Cadenceheart117, signing off for now. Goodnight, because I really need sleep.**


	4. Sins Revealed

Temna huffed gently whilst the pair of pokemon behind him chattered lightly. They had been moving up the mountains slowly, and by the day's end, would end up in Daric. At first, after they had left the Dark Army base, everyone was seemingly silent. That didn't last long, with his partners Iah and Audrina quickly picking up opportunities for conversation, often attempting to drag him into it.

He shrugged them off for once in his life, while his mind was buzzing with everything Duke had mentioned earlier that day. Normally, an assignment like this wouldn't bother him; though considering this particular target, Elisia, was someone he held dear, it made the situation starkly different. She had acted like a mother, not only to him, but Audrina as well. Perhaps, by some stroke of luck, he wouldn't have to harm her. Right? Despite every other assignment resulting in a casualty- this one could be different. He would have to hope this time it wouldn't be Elisia, at the very least. There was one thing he didn't understand: How was any of this not bothering Audrina? With the question in mind, he checked the girl with an unidentifiable subtly, attempting to confirm his suspicion. Indeed, she didn't show a single sign of concern; not in her face, not in her movements, there was no trouble to be found in the Weavile.

An exasperated sigh slipped from his slightly parted lips. He decided to speed up, putting himself at the edge of the girls' line of sight.

Iah, who was watching him, turned to Audrina. "Is he alright? I have noticed that ever since we left the Dark Army Base, he has been quiet. Multiple hours of silence doesn't seem typical for him, does it?" Another sigh, though this time from Audrina, filled the air. She had taken a sidelong glance in Temna's direction. He had put a notable distance between them by this point.

"I guess I should tell you what's wrong with him, and, to an extent, me. You know the target we were assigned?"

"The Houndoom, Elisia, yes? She isn't a target, as much as an objective, you know? It's quite plausible that we won't necessarily _have to_ kill her."

Audrina stared at the Absol for a moment, followed promptly by a shake of her head. "Don't be so analytical about it, Iah. That Houndoom basically helped raise the two of us. We never knew our mothers, and she filled that role." The weavile remarked with a bit of a defensive snap. It wasn't intended to bear malice towards the absol, merely a reflex in the sentimental reminiscence "I remember a time when we were both sick, she forced his Papa and my brother to take us to her den in the woods. Then she sat there with us, catering to our needs until we were both healthy again." Concluding the memory, Audrina's eyes darted to Temna once more before casting a glance to Iah. The young woman decided it would be best to stop the story telling of her memories before dwelling on too long, returning to the initial topic "You want to know why he's so down? He may be forced to kill the pokemon who was the closest thing he had to a mother. The difference between us, is that he's far more pessimistic. I'm trying to keep positive and hold onto the possible probability that we won't have to.. You know.." Audrina finished, snapping at the Absol who stepped to the side slightly.

"I… I am sorry. I had no intention of stepping on anyone's toes, or coming off as indifferent to matters of the heart such as this. Is there a way that I can-

"Don't." interrupted Audrina, raising a claw. "There is no need for balloons and a cake, I've no need for a pity party. I'm not looking for a therapist either. If anything, someone else indefinitely could use it more than me." she said, looking ahead towards Temna. There were ten minutes that followed with the trio once again silently moving forward, up the mountain they climbed. Though ten minutes was all the male could take before he dropped back, having a handful of words to say.

"In a couple of hours, we'll be in Daric. Audrina, do you already have some accomodations in mind, or am I going to have to figure out how to get us a hotel?"

Initially, the Weavile tilted her head. With a moment of processing her thoughts, she shook her head "I've got nothing. As far as Daric residents are concerned, my heritage is all dead, brother, sister, and I, deceased. More likely than not, our vacated house will either be nothing but a husk, or, completely torn down and built over. In short: you'll have to find a hotel."

"You need not worry about expenses. I can handle that." Iah chimed, a small smile stretching across her face. Considerably surprised, the Glaceon and Weavile turned to their companion.

"How are you going to cover it? You didn't exactly bring any poké along with you." said Audrina, crossing her arms.

"That is where you are wrong." Iah responded, her smile growing a little wider. Her crescent horn glowed a vivid purple for a moment, before she made a quick slash in the air in front of her. A small purple line was left, and out of it fell a small brown sack of poké. They watched it clatter noisily to the ground with wide eyes, spilling its contents out on the ground.

"...How?" said Temna, blinking a couple times.

"I have latent psychic abilities. Most other Dark types do as well." answered Iah, nosing the coins back into the sack and replacing it in the purple cut, which promptly dissipated.

Temna blinked again, before shaking his head, a little frustrated. "You Psychic and Dark types get all the bullshit…"

Audrina and Iah both giggled happily, and three continued on their journey up the mountain.

-!-

"If you don't mind me asking, how much longer is this trip up the mountain going to take?" asked Iah, panting slightly. They had been walking for at least three hours now, and hadn't even taken the time for a rest. Audrina looked back at the struggling absol, and shrugged. "I dunno. We're going a different route than I did when I first left Daric, so I can't exactly tell you when we'll reach the village, only before nightfall. The woods on the mountain are really divided into three parts. You've got the woods that lead up the north side, where we are, the woods on the south side, and the woods that surround Daric, the village highest up in this part of the mountain range."

"And.. How is it… The two of you are not out of breath?" panted the Absol harder than before. Temna and Audrina just looked at one another and laughed.

"When you're raised in the mountains, you kinda get used to it. Come on, we should be at the edge of the first part of the woods" said Temna, who wasn't feeling tired in the slightest. As if to accentuate his point, a large clearing came into view just ahead. The trio stepped into it, and checked out their surroundings. They could see a rocky outcropping in the distance, and the tops of a few tall buildings just peeking over the edge. They walked toward it, but stopped when they got to the edge of the rocky outcropping. The village, which was definitely not Daric, was below them, but there was no visible way down to it. Farther along the edge, they could make out a path leading up to a large, dark cave.

Temna studied the cave for a moment, taking note of it's blocked off entrance, and a small area in front of it filled with an assortment of items. He took a step forward, but instantly fell to his knees when he heard a scream in his head. Instantly he recognized Valencia's voice, but she didn't speak. Rather, she sent him a feeling. _Run._

He turned around and, after popping Audrina and Iah to get their attention, began running as fast as he could towards the woods that lead to Daric. They followed and, not half an hour later, were on the outskirts of Daric. Audrina, who was now as out of breath as Iah, finally managed to catch up to Temna when he slowed down. She swung a weak punch at his side, panting. "Why… are we… running? We… weren't in any… danger."

Temna, who wasn't out of breath in the slightest, shook his head. He didn't plan on explaining exactly WHERE he got the feeling, as he knew they wouldn't believe him if he said anything about Valencia, but he had another idea. "That cave up there was bad news. We're definitely a lot safer now than we were not too long ago."

Audrina huffed. "If… you say so... " I'm still going to.. get you for making me run… How the hell are you not out of breath?!"

"Skill. As for you getting me later, give it your best shot." said Temna, half challenging her. They sat there for a few minutes, catching their breath, before they slowly walked into the village.

Much had changed since Temna and Audrina had been there last. For one, there was evidence of previous fire damage on a lot of the homes and shops. There was also many new faces. In fact, they didn't see anybody they knew prior. If they hadn't recognized the familiar layout of the village, it could have easily been confused with an entirely different village. One very familiar building still stood though and, once Temna and Audrina saw it, amused them to no end. The _Glacier Cafe._ The door was no longer on it for some reason, so they had no troubles stepping in. When they did, they were greeted by a very familiar Froslass, as well as a young female Kirlia.

"Welcome to the Glacier Cafe, she said in a slightly happy tone. "How can I help you today?"

Audrina stared pointedly at her for a moment, before smiling. "You wouldn't happen to be Bastion's daughter, would you?"

At that statement, the happiness in the Kirlia's eyes deflated. "Yeah." she said dully. "He's in the back. Want me to go get him?" Audrina nodded, and the Kirlia floated away, heading to grab the "Bastion." The Froslass made a motion for the three to follow it, and wound up seating them at a very familiar window table.

"Is this…" said Temna, trailing off.

"Yep! First day in town, I took you here." said Audrina, giving Temna a half hug.

"While that sentiment seems sweet, may I ask what exactly it is we are doing here?" asked Iah.

"Bastion knows everything that goes on in this town. If something has happened with Elisia since she moved into the town, he'll know."

"And who is this Bastion?" asked Temna, a little confused.

"I believe that would be me." came a voice from behind the Glaceon. Temna turned to see a Gallade walking towards them. There was a small washcloth in his hand, so he had likely just finished cleaning something.

"Hello Bastion." greeted Audrina. "It's been a while."

"Too long, young Audrina." said the Gallade with a smile. He pulled a chair over from another table and sat down across from her, next to Iah.

"So. What brings you my way? After all, you wouldn't be in town if you didn't need something.

"Sure enough, Basti. I'm looking for a certain houndoom, Elisia. You seen her around lately?"

She flipped a single piece of poke the Gallades way, and he caught it in a smooth gesture, before leaning back in his seat, thinking. "Sure I know her." he said after a moment, cracking an eye. "She comes in here every other day, always orders lum berries. Didn't come in for her usuals the past two days, and no one's seen her since then. My guess is she skipped town."

"I hope to Arceus you're wrong…" muttered Temna, looking out the window. A heavily scarred Blaziken caught his eye. It was at one of the many produce stands, but it wasn't eyeing the food. Rather, it was staring almost hungrily at a nervous looking Braixen who obviously wanted a way out.

"Hey, Audrina. That look suspicious to you?" he asked, drawing her attention over to the Blaziken. Audrina watched him for a moment, before nodding.

"He's looking at her like she's a prime cut of meat. We gonna go say something?" she offered, looking at him expectantly.

"Yeah… Poor Braixen looks like she's going to pass out in fear or something."

"Will I be needed?" asked Iah as Temna and Audrina stood up. "I have a few more questions for Bastion, if you two do not mind."

"Nah, we'll be fine." said Audrina, already making her way towards the entrance. Together, the two walked over to the stand, listening in on the conversation as they got closer.

"A-are you sure you don't want any fruit instead?" spoke the Braixen nervously, looking at the Blaziken. The Blaziken let out a little chuckle, then leaned against the side of the stand. "I'm not hungry. For that anyways…"

Temna chose that moment to step in, walking up beside the Blaziken.

"Excuse me, Miss Braixen. Is he causing you trouble?" he asked, getting both of the pokemon's attention. The Braixen, though she definitely looked a little relieved, shook her head.

"No, but thank you for the offer. Would you-" she replied, but didn't get to finish as the Blaziken gave Temna a little shove with his leg.

"Screw off, little Glaceon. Before I kill you for disrespect." growled the Blaziken, turning away from him. Audrina tapped the Blaziken's leg, gaining his attention. He turned to her with a growl, but his tone instantly changed when he saw her.

"Well, hello there, pretty thing." He said, crouching down to her level. "Is there something you want? Perhaps a little… fun?"

Audrina scoffed at the poor display, and turned away, facing the Braixen. "I think you lied earlier, or Temna phrased it wrong, so I'll ask again: Is this Blaziken bothering you?"

The Braixen looked from her to the Blaziken, and back again. Finally she sighed. "Yes, he is kinda bothering me. Mr. Blaziken, if you don't mind… she said, trailing off. The Blaziken held up both claws and started backing away.

"It's alright sweet cheeks. I can see where I'm not wanted." He shot Temna a dirty look, saying, "Watch your back little Glaceon", then turned away, walking down the street.

" _I'm going to follow him."_ announced Audrina in Temna's mind, already starting down the street after the Blaziken.

" _I completely forgot that you linked us like this."_ responded Temna, watching her walk away. " _Stay out of sight, okay? And be back in ten minutes."_

" _Hah! Yes, dear. You make sure that Braixen is alright, and don't worry so much about me. I'll be fine."_ she fired back, laughing slightly. With that, she disappeared around the corner, leaving Temna and the Braixen standing alone.

"Sorry about that. You looked like you could use some help. Are you alright?" said Temna, turning to her. The Braixen rubbed the back of her neck, but shook her head.

"No… Thank you for the save. I wasn't sure he was going to leave me alone. My name's June. It's nice to see you again Temna, regardless of the circumstances. Do you remember me?"

"Remember you? No, unless you're a cook." said Temna, thinking back. In the Dark army cafeteria, he was informed that most of the cooks, if not all, were Braixen's and Delphox's."

"Ah, so you do." said the Braixen with a giggle. "I saw you in line in the… organizations… cafeteria once. You got a plate of Lum berries, remember?"

"I hardly remember what I've eaten for breakfast." said Temna, chuckling. But, thinking back on it, he did remember her. It had been one of the last things he ate before he left on the mission.

"So, what are you doing here? I would think you would still be there, cooking away." he asked, now a little curious.

"Oh, I'm headed back tonight. I just came up to help some family out for a little while. Mom hasn't exactly had the best health, so they needed someone to run the shop for a little while. I would stay longer, but…"

"Duke?" asked Temna, his voice flat.

"Exactly…" sighed June, though she smiled a little. "Duke… he may have our best intentions in mind, but he can be a little heartless at times. I'm just glad he let me come up to visit my family, even if for only a few days."

"He shouldn't be able to decide when you can go visit your family. I may not have any, but I know damn well how important family is."

"Well, do you have friends?" she asked, throwing him a Lum berry. He took it, quickly eating it before replying. "I do, but they are few and far between. Why?"

"Good. Because as long as you have friends, you have family. Remember that, Temna, and you'll always have people you can count on." she said. She looked at the sky for a moment, before nodding to herself, putting a closed sign on the stand.

"Well, I'm done for the night. It was nice to see you Temna. Tell Audrina I said goodbye!" With that, she started walking away, leaving her cart unattended. Temna looked at the Berries still on it, before turning to her form as she walked away, confused.

"Hey, are you going to just leave this out here? It could get stolen!"

"That's the point." she called back. "Temna, not everyone has enough money to pay for food. This is how I help those families out. Just you wait, tomorrow morning, that cart is going to have small amounts of poke on it, because even though I leave it out for them to have, they offer what they can."

Temna went silent at that, shocked at her level of kindness. No one he had met in life had really been as kind as this, not even Valencia. With her, it was a kind of tough love. Mysterious as all hell, but tough.

With a sigh, he walked quickly back to the cafe, where Iah stood waiting. She smiled at him, waving a paw in greeting. "I trust it did not take too long? I saw him shove you. Are you okay?" Temna nodded, but let out a small yawn.

"Yeah, I'm good, thanks. Just a little tired. Will you go ahead to the inn we saw earlier, and order three rooms? I'm going to stay here and wait for Audrina."

The absol nodded her agreement and turned around, presumably heading towards the hotel.

Ten minutes later, just as the sun was disappearing behind the smallest of the buildings, Audrina appeared again, walking casually towards Temna.

"What took you so long?" he asked, almost playfully. Her face deadpanned for a moment, but she smiled back.

"What took me so long is I got us a lead." she answered, leaning up against the side of the cafe.

"I'm guessing the Blaziken?" Asked Temna, leaning back. Audrina nodded at that, confirming his suspicions. "Great… Where'd he go?"

"From what I could tell, he is camping out in the old warehouse, outside the other edge of the village. It's perfectly isolated, and nobody ever goes out there any more. Perfect place to hide something, wouldn't you agree?"

"For a little while, maybe. I'm sure there's gotta be some kids or something that play up there every once in awhile."

"Then we'll have to move quick. Tonight?"

Temna began to nod in agreement, but wound up yawning again instead. Audrina giggled at that, and shook her head. "Tomorrow night it is then. My guess is Iah is waiting for us at the Inn. C'mon, we'll eat something and head to bed. Or, if you like… we can do other things…" she said.

Instantly, Temna was wide awake, practically running towards the inn with Audrina hot on his tail, laughing her butt off.

Once they reached the inn and received their room numbers, they walked up the stairs to their rooms together. She moved ahead of him slightly, and Temna watched, almost hypnotized as her hips moved from side to side enticingly. She looked back at him when he stumbled slightly, and grinned when she saw his stupefied face. _Too easy._ She thought to herself. Soon, she reached her door, cracking it and stepping inside. She turned back to look at him, smiling. "You gonna come inside or what?" He followed her in and, wordlessly, allowed her to push him onto the bed.

 **Lemon scene**

 **-!-**

Temna moaned as Audrina gently nipped at the dangle of his ear. She was crouched over him, her short legs on either side of his hind legs pinning him to the ground. Slowly, she began running her razor like claws along his sides, stopping near the base of his growing member. Temna shivered in both fear and pleasure at the touch. Audrina was playing a dangerous game, using her claws like that. He knew what those claws could to to his sensitive flesh, but the pleasure was to tempting. It clouded his mind, driving him to practically beg her to go further.

Soon, he was at his full length. She began grinding her now dripping sex against him, drawing out yet another moan from the Glaceon. She was dominating him, and he knew it. But oh, did he love it. Still grinding against him, she drew her mouth away from his ear to his maw, pressing against them to create a long, slow kiss between the two 'mon. She practically cooed into him, happy with the contact between them.

Then, she pressed her tongue against his, and he opened up to grant her access. The two organs began a slow, wet dance, and he practically melted into her. Lost in the pleasure, he began humping against her sex lightly. He wasn't really pushing into her nether region, but it was enough to cause her pleasure, and him slight frustration. He broke the kiss, and she leaned back, a loud moan of her own escaping her lips. He let out a whine, not in anger, but more as a plea. She looked down at him and he whined again, humping against her.

"Please..."

Smiling at him, she moved back up to his ear and whispered "Please what?" He didn't answer, instead electing to hump upwards again. This time, he slid directly between her lips, but still not into her. Despite that, they both felt the pleasure, causing another moan to rise out of the duo. She slammed her lips down on his briefly, then drew back, cupping his face with one clawed hand, and running the other between their bodies to grip at his member. She angled her it upwards slightly, and looked at him, letting out a laugh.

"Being physical about it works too." With that, she slammed herself down onto his member. They both groaned in pleasure, but Temna bit his bottom lip, trying his best to remain quiet. Audrina however, had no such reservations. She let out a loud cry of pleasure, pressing as best as she could down against him.

Temna got an idea then, and he slid his legs just under Audrina's rear, pushing her up until only his tip remained inside her.

"What are you- Oh Shit!" yelled Audrina as he released her. She slammed down onto him, and he pushed up at the same time. The sound of their bodies impacting each other resounded through the room as he repeated the process several times, each time drawing a loud, guttural shout from the Weavile.

There was nothing slow about it, and after a few minutes, her panting increased. Suddenly, she went as stiff as a board, her warm, wet fluids gushing out around his member, and down his body leaving sticky wet streaks. She clenched herself even tighter than before, to the point where she even slowed down slightly as she rode him. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, the only sound coming out being short gasps as she rode out her orgasmic high.

She collapsed downwards onto his chest, and Temna, despite his own panting, let out a little laugh. "Cumming already? I thought you would have lasted longer than that."

She growled at him playfully, but pulled him into another kiss, licking softly at his short canines. He nipped right back, drawing her bottom lip into his maw as he nipped gently at it. Then, she slowly drew back, smiling at him in happiness. "I never said we were done…"

She rolled onto her back, pulling him on top of her. "I want you… to knot me…" she whispered huskily, gaining a surprised look from Temna.

"A-are you sure?" he asked nervously. "There's a chance you could become pregnant with my kits…"

"If it were yours, I wouldn't mind… I… love you, Temna." she finished, looking away nervously herself.

"I…" was all he could manage, before Audrina looked back at him with a show of innocence. He studied her for a moment, and in an instant, he made up his mind.

He kissed her for once, pressing his maw roughly against her lips. She gasped in slight surprise, but her eyes closed half a beat later, clearly enjoying a more dominant Temna.

He pushed his member against her sex, using its lingering wetness to help himself back to full mast. Soon enough, he was gently pushing his way inside her, going slower than he had before. Audrina clearly enjoyed the change of pace, because she was gripping tightly at the bedspread beneath them, trying to cover up her moans of pleasure. Slowly, she began pushing her own hips up to meet Temna's thrusts once more, trying to take as much of him in her as she possibly could. Her legs spread a little wider, and Temna began grinding his member against her before pushing in as deep as he could go, often rubbing against the walls of her sex in different ways.

Suddenly, he bit her shoulder in his maw, spinning her around and pushing her against the headboard. He braced himself against her, and leaned up to her ear. "You wanted my knot. Now you're going to get it." he said in a low growl. He re entered her from behind, roughly, banging against her, pushing her against the headboard. Audrina cried out her pleasure from this, going as far as to wrap her back legs around Temna's back legs, pushing him ever deeper. He bit into the base of her fan, strewing it about messily around his face as he continued pounding away at her like never before, his member showing it's own pleasure by leaking out pre as he continued. However, going this fast, he wouldn't last long, and sure enough, his knot had formed and was banging against her wet sex as well.

Audrina could feel the knot, and she began moaning even louder, almost shouting. His knot grew to full size now, and he was still pistoning in and out of her as he fucked her faster and faster.

"Get it in… get it in please! I want your knot inside me, your seed… I want your kits! Make me yours Temna!" she screeched in intense pleasure, riding out yet another orgasm. He slammed himself into her, his knot slipping inside her with a wet _Schlick_ sound, tying the two together. His own orgasm hit, and soon he was filling her up to the brim with his seed, some of it even leaking out around him.

They must have held their position for a good twenty minutes, waiting for his knot to deflate enough for him to pull out of her. It finally did, and out he came with a slight Pop sound. The two collapsed side by side, panting as they lay there facing one another. Audrina looked up at him, smiling. She reached over and pulled him into her chest, and he in turn nuzzled against her.

-!-

"That… Was fun…" panted out Audrina, tired from the duo's round of sex. "I agree… Though you've left me with some questions…" said Temna, his eyes still closed.

"Did you really mean everything you said? About loving me?"

Audrina chuckled slightly, and began running her claws along his side, making him let out a little purr. "Of course I did, Temna. I love every bit of you, mistakes and all. And yes, I really wouldn't mind settling down, and having your kits. You have no idea how long I waited for you…" she finished, drawing him even closer.

"Then… would you consider… being my mate?" asked Temna nervously. It seemed a little rushed in his mind, but if she was going to have his kit, then that was another case.

Audrina nodded her head, smiling. "I thought you'd never ask. But… I have some ground rules."

Temna chuckled. "And what might those be?"

"Oh, nothing serious. But they pertain to who you can fool around with."

Temna tilted his head, slightly confused. "Audrina, I'm not going to have sex with anyone but you. Why is that a problem?"

"Temna, I appreciate the humbleness, but c'mon. You're a handsome Glaceon with red eyes. You're going to get more than one offer for sex in the future, and I know how hard it is to say no sometimes. That's why I'm going to say it now, rather than run into trouble later: I don't care who you have fun with, be they male or female. I just want you to ask me beforehand. Who knows? I might want to join you…"

Temna blushed at that statement, but shook his head. "I promise, I will only-"

"Ah, ah!" Interrupted Audrina, covering his mouth with a claw. "Don't make a promise you can't keep. Now let's go to sleep, my mate. We have work to do in the morning."

With that, she turned off the small gas lamp on the night stand, and the two closed their eyes, slowly drifting off to a restful sleep.

-!-

" _Do you remember how we first met, my solution?"_ came a voice from deep within Temna's mind, which he instantly recognized.

"How could I forget, Valencia? You saved my life."

/-\

 _Flashback time!_

Temna woke up not long after he had stumbled out of the cabin. The sun was a little higher in the sky, so he must have been unconscious for at least an hour. He looked back at the cabin behind him, taking in the slightly metallic smell of blood, and the obviously shattered door. Suddenly, his memories came flooding back to him, and he choked out a sob. He remembered everything; how he had woken up that morning to find his Papa in danger, how he tried to fight them off, only to lose his father to a Meowstic that had separated the two.

He didn't want to be in this place, he didn't want to be anywhere close. So, his vision blurry, he stepped off into the woods, seeking shelter wherever he could find it. That was how she found him. While Glaceon was lucky he wasn't attacked by any other predators in his obviously weak state, he did manage to get lost. He stumbled around in the woods, surviving on what few berries he could find, for nearly a week, before he finally collapsed, tired and hungry. That was when she first appeared, a bright silvery blue light. He lay there watching the light waver in front of him for a moment, before out of it stepped a Flareon. Glaceon tried to stand up to face it, but collapsed again, too tired to even move.

The Flareon slowly walked over and lay down next to Temna, shaking her head. "Save your strength, young one, and rest. For when you wake, we will have much to discuss." it said in a very feminine voice. Temna just nodded weakly and lay his head down, falling asleep moments later.

It was nightfall before he awoke again. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked around, gawking as he took in a massive pile of berries sitting next to the Flareon and a firepit. The Flareon, who had been watching the fire, turned to him and smiled warmly. "Well? I know you are hungry, so enjoy."

At the open invitation, Temna immediately got up and made his way over to the berries, picking up a couple of the cheri berries and eating away. He was halfway through the pile before he stopped and realized how rude he was being. Sheepishly, he pushed the rest over to the Flareon, who giggled.

"Do not worry about me, I am not hungry."

Temna nodded his head and sat back, next to the Flareon. He watched the fire with her for a minute, before finally turning to her. "Who are you, and why did you save me? I'm not anything special." he asked, curious.

"Because it is my duty, given to me by Francis." stated the Flareon curtly. "As for what you may call me, my name is Valencia."

"You knew Papa? How? He never introduced you to me."

"As well he shouldn't. It wasn't his duty."

"Oh…" said Temna quietly, his head down. "Well, if you were coming to visit us, don't bother. Papa's… He's… "

"Don't, young one. I already know. In fact, I was there the entire time."

Glaceon's head snapped back up at that statement, shocked. "How were you there? And if you were, why didn't you help us?" he asked, his voice growing a little angry.

"Because he had declared he no longer needed me, I could do nothing, as much as I wished to." said the Flareon, her own eyes growing a little sad.

"What do you mean, he no longer needed you? Excuse my tone, but you're just a Flareon. What could he possibly have needed from you?"

Valencia chuckled. "I will forgive your insolence, and instead ask you to trust me, for I am much more than I look." As if to accentuate her point, she nodded towards the other side of the fire, towards a large tree. On cue, it started growing even larger than before, stopping only when its size had doubled. Glaceon looked towards the base of the tree, shocked. Everything around it was either dead or dying, as if their life force had drained and been put into the tree. Glaceon didn't run, but slowly he turned to Valencia, a little scared.

"What… are you?"

"That's one thing I cannot answer. Now, I have something to ask of you, the same thing I asked of your father before you. Will you, Glaceon Ice, be my Solution?"

"Your… Solution? asked Glaceon, confused. "What's that?"

"Solution would be your title. It entails a great many things if you wish it, including the revenge you so clearly want." That much was definitely true. He wanted to kill anyone who was connected to the death of his Papa.

"Wait, how do you know I wanted revenge?" asked Glaceon. "I haven't exactly told anyone."

"Glaceon, I know everything about you. I have been there from the day you were born till now. And I will continue to be, if you let me."

"What do you mean?"

"Francis never wanted much from me, young one. In fact, the only thing he asked was that I watch over his family line. And since he never had any children, that mantle has been passed on to you. Though only if you want it."

"So let me get this straight; you would protect me from harm, and I'm going to guess, until the day I no longer need you?"

"That, and more. I can help you get revenge on those who killed your father, and I can train you to fight like he did so long ago."

"When Papa was a mercenary?"

"Yes. I will give you some time to think about my offer, but I will need an answer soon." With that, she disappeared into thin air, a light smell of pine taking her place. Glaceon sat there for a good hour, thinking. He wasn't sure he exactly trusted Valencia yet, but she had offered him the chance of revenge, and given him the offer of training, two things he wanted, if only for closure Finally, he made up his mind.

"Valencia? Are you there?" he called out, hoping she could hear him.

She reappeared in front of him, smiling. "Yes, young one? Have you reached a decision?"

End Flashback

/-\

Temna's eyes opened again, still in the black void. He sighed, annoyed. "As fun as that memory was, why did you show me that Valencia? You know I don't like to acknowledge my past."

She appeared in front of him then, floating in front of him. "Because I want you to remember this when you finish your mission. You're not done avenging Francis yet."

"What do you mean I'm not done yet?! You said finished them when I cleared out those bandits a while back."

"You had, but one of them survived. Who do you think is leading these new bandits?"

"...I've heard enough. When do I go kill them?"

"Whenever you wish, my solution. I have said what I needed to." With that, she waved a gentle goodbye, and disappeared.

Temna sighed, thinking. " _Always mysterious. Will I ever get to know her better?"_

With that, his vision blurred, and he faded as well.

-!-

"Temna, wake up. I let you sleep all afternoon, now you have to get up. We have to check out that warehouse." said Audrina, shaking Temna gently. He turned to look at her with a slight smile. "Good morning, love. Or evening." He pressed his maw against her lips gently, causing a slight coo of pleasure to rise out of her. After a minute, she pulled back with a slight gasp, albeit seeming a little happier.

"What's made you so touchy feely?" she asked with a smile.

Temna tilted his head, feigning confusion. "What do you mean? I mean, it's only the fact that the most beautiful pokemon in the world agreed to be my mate. That might do it, don't you think?" he said, nudging her gently.

Audrina giggled and shook her head. "And a charmer too. I like this new, open Temna. I think I'll keep him." At that, she wrapped her arms his form, squeezing lightly. He laughed quietly and nuzzled her right back, rubbing against her chest. They continued like this for a minute, before they heard a light tap at the door. Turning to it, they watched as it opened slightly, revealing Iah, waiting patiently. She took in the close forms of Temna and Audrina cuddling for a moment, before smirking.

"I take it that everything went as you planned, Audrina?"

She giggled. "That, and more Iah! You're looking at the new Audrina Ice." The Absol's mouth dropped open at that, looking shocked, before she started grinning even wider than before.

"Mates? After the first night? Are you not moving a little fast Temna?"

Temna blushed, but shook his head. "I'm going to ignore the fact that you called me out specifically, but okay."

"It doesn't matter anyway." said Audrina, jumping in. "I would have said yes regardless of when he asked."

"Then I suppose it doesn't matter." responded Iah with a smile. "I do not mind you two showing affection for one another, but we do have a mission to complete sometime tonight."

"Alright. We'll be out in a minute." answered Temna, who stood up and began stretching.

"Okay. Oh, there is one more thing. Please take a moment to clean up. You both reek of sex." said Iah, her nose scrunching up slightly. She shut the door on them then, leaving two beet red pokemon to get ready and clean up their mess.

-!-

Half an hour later, they were leaving the inn, and on their way towards the other side of the village, where the warehouse lay waiting just outside of it. They were working on a plan to check out the warehouse while remaining unseen, but the only one showing an ounce of sense was Iah.

"I am just saying that it would be best if we remained watching from the outside of the warehouse. There is minimal risk of injury to us, and we should be able to find out what is happening if we listen." she said, shaking her head at Audrina, who believed they should do the opposite.

"And I'm telling you that it would be easiest if we just killed them while they are focused on other things." said the Weavile, crossing her arms in defiance.

"And how is it we are going to do that? We can't exactly get in there without being seen, since there is only one entrance."

"Not quite." said Temna, looking up. It really hadn't taken them long to reach the warehouse, and he was staring pointedly at the window sitting conveniently above a stack of boxes. "How about this: Audrina, you stay here in case someone comes up to the warehouse behind us, and Iah, you get on top of the boxes and watch to make sure they haven't figured out we're here. I'll stay down here and look through the gap in the door, watching for any threats.

After a moment, the two nodded in agreement with his plan, and got into their respective positions. Temna was honestly surprised they listened to him so easily, but he wasn't going to complain about it. He shook his head once, then approached the warehouse door.

When he looked, he couldn't see much, but he could make out a heavily scarred Blaziken sitting near a small fire pit. There was at least one other in the room though, as the Blaziken was looking to the side, speaking to them. Temna leaned closer, and he could just make out the sounds of a low conversation.

"Again? Third time in the past two days. Don't use em up before we can sell em." said the Blaziken.

"So what? One of 'ems young. She'll still fetch a pretty penny. The other, well, we could just eat her. Never had a Houndoom before."

"I intend to sell the both of them. After of course, we grab that Weavile I saw earlier. Kill that little Glaceon friend of hers too."

The other figure crossed his line of sight then, and he could make out the form of a human. Average sized, from what he could tell, more than likely with below average intelligence. Then another sound crossed his ears. A pair of female voices, whimpering. "Please, not again…" he heard from one of them, while the other one just whined a little louder.

"Shut up." snapped the Human. The sound of a boot hitting skin resounded through the warehouse, and Temna winced slightly as he heard a loud yelp of pain.

Finally, he had had enough. Ignoring the cries from the Weavile and Absol that stood behind him, he burst through the door, quickly surveying his surroundings. The Blaziken was just now looking up, so for the moment, he wasn't a threat. Looking at the human, he was pissed to find him with his pants halfway down, holding a struggling Vulpix under him. Instantly, he realized the bastards intentions, and he charged him. The human managed to turn around, but didn't have time to bring his arms up before Temna slammed into his chest, knocking him onto his back. He landed on all fours on the human's upper torso, quickly biting into his throat sideways. Once he was secure, he tore. Blood sprayed everywhere, mostly landing on the warehouse wall and the floor. He spit out the hunk of human flesh, looking up in time only to see the Blaziken's foot flying toward his face. It impacted, and Temna impacted the warehouse wall, leaving a shallow dent in its surface. He fell onto the floor, and dazed, he looked up. The Blaziken was casually making his way towards him, as if Temna was no longer a threat. And in truth, he wasn't. That sole kick had taken a lot out of him, and it would be a moment before he could fight again. Not moment enough, the Blaziken picked him up by the throat with a claw and slammed him into the wall, pinning him there.

"Well, well, look who it is. Temna was it? Tell me, how is that Weavile friend of yours?

"Screw… you…" choked out Temna, pushing vainly against the claw.

"Screw her? Well, if you insist. But I'm going to kill you first. After all, I do owe you for killing the new guy." he said, throwing a claw over his shoulder to the still sputtering human behind him. With that, he drew his claw back, preparing to smash it into Temna's skull.

It never landed, as a flash of black crashed into the Blaziken's side, then quickly drew away. The Blaziken roared in pain and released Temna, backing away to reveal three angry red streaks in his side. A dark purple slash of energy just missed him then, and he began backing away towards the unoccupied side of the warehouse. A pissed Absol, and a very pissed Weavile began cornering the Blaziken, soon joined by Temna. Faced with three opponents, he finally decided that this was a fight he could not win, and leapt over the three towards the fire pit. He kicked off, and flew through the hole in the roof, leaving the three pokemon alone with the victims.

Immediately, they turned to the snow white Vulpix, and a Houndoom, who looked very familiar.

"Elisia?!" barked Temna, his voice a mix of anxious trepidation and fear. The houndoom in question had positioned herself in front of the young vulpix to ward off any would be attackers, and she was watching the three carefully. When she heard Temna speaking, she focused her gaze on him, her eyes narrowing.

"Who are you?" she said, baring her teeth. Temna opened his mouth to respond, but Audrina scoffed, and he remained silent.

"I'm surprised you don't recognize us. Me and the _Glaceon_ anyways." she said, placing emphasis on Glaceon.

"How do you know that name?" fired back Elisia, taking a step towards them.

"The same reason you know the name Audrina; we _are_ them." answered Temna, a smile on his face.

Elisia's eyes widened, and her jaw opened slightly in shock. After a minute of the four just standing there, she took another step forward, but not in aggression. This time, it was in hope. "G-glacy? Audi?" she asked, eyes glimmering.

Audrina rolled her eyes at the calling of her old nickname, but smiled as well. "Yeah, it's us. You miss us?"

She didn't answer, instead electing to rush forward towards Audrina, knocking her onto her back as she nuzzled into her side. Temna chuckled at the cute sight, shaking his head.

"What, no love for "Glacy"?" he said, smiling. Elisia froze for a moment, before jumping to Temna, repeating what she did to Audrina. They heard a slight whimper from behind them, and their heads snapped to the young vulpix. Iah had, in the midst of the little reunion, moved around them and towards the young pokemon and was checking her, likely for injury.

Immediately, Elisia lunged backwards, putting herself in between the two. "You stay away from my kit!" she roared at the Absol, who backpedaled until she was behind Temna.

"I am sorry. I was checking her to see if there was any injuries to be concerned about." she said, confirming it.

"Your young?" asked Temna, curious. From what he remembered, Elisia preferred the touch of the same sex.

"I'll explain later Glaceon." answered Elisia, not taking her eyes off of Iah, who it was obvious she didn't trust.

Audrina stepped forward then, raising her claws in surrender as Elisia's eyes turned on her. They softened their glare, but only just so.

"I understand your mistrust of Iah, but please, let me and Temna check on her." said Audrina in a low voice, trying to keep Elisia calm. Elisia studied her intently for a moment, then turning and doing the same to Temna. After a moment, she chuffed once and sidestepped, gesturing with her head for the two to pass. However, she didn't budge from her spot beside the young Vulpix.

Temna remained where he stood for the moment, silently watching as Audrina stepped forward slowly, kneeling down in front of the Vulpix. She smiled at her gently, but the unsure Vulpix cringed away slightly, before looking at Elisia and calling out, "Mama?"

"It's okay, Sylvia. She's a friend. Let her check you and see if you have any injuries."

"Okay, Mama…" she said. Slowly, she turned back to Audrina, who smiled again. The Vulpix cringed away once more, and scooted closer to Elisia. Audrina looked from her, back to Temna, who slowly stepped forward himself.

"Let me try…" he said, moving forward. Waiting until Sylvia wasn't looking directly at him, he moved closer until he was right beside her. Then, he nuzzled against her side gently, causing her to jump slightly. But she didn't pull away, instead slightly leaning into the gesture.

Elisia chuckled half-heartedly, nuzzling against her as well. "You know, this is the first time she's actually opened up even slightly to someone besides me. She's always been very shy, and very calm too. But she's very curious, even more so than you, Glaceon. Guess I should be calling you Temna now though."

Temna mentally smiled at that, and pulled back gently. "Okay Sylvia, can you tell me if anything hurts?"

"Mhm…" said Sylvia, nodding gently. She moved her right forepaw to her side, and rubbed gently, then to her head rubbing gently again. Temna chuckled at her antics, but nodded once.

"She looks fine Elisia, no actual injuries except for hunger and dehydration. Both of which I suspect you need too. Did you manage to…" he said, his voice trailing off, instead gesturing to Sylvia's lower half with a paw.

"No. He never managed to hurt her that way, thankfully. He… used me instead." said Elisia, looking at the now fully dead human with disdain. She looked back at Sylvia, before slowly collapsing with a light sob.

Temna, Audrina, and Sylvia all rushed forward, each grabbing or nuzzling into the houndoom as she collapsed. The poor pokemon let out a low howl, before sobbing once more. "I tried to fight him off!" She said, crying out her pain. "But I couldn't… He threatened to kill Sylvia if I didn't let him do as he wished…"

"It's in the past, and it's over now…" said Temna, nuzzling against her side gently, trying to calm her down.

Iah, who had been watching everything quietly from behind them, chuffed once when she heard that. She stepped forward and, after nosing away Temna and Audrina, began to whisper something in Elisia's ear. Temna and Audrina looked at each other in concern, but eventually, Iah stepped back. Elisia, though she was still sniffling, placed little Sylvia on her back, and she and Iah began walking toward the warehouse door, leaving two very confused pokemon in their wake.

-!-

After a few minutes of walking, they made it back to the inn, where, after Iah had bought Elisia and Sylvia a large meal, the two were placed under the care of Audrina in the second room. Temna managed finally at the end of all this to catch Iah.

"Iah, wait a second." he said, his voice a little agitated.

The absol looked back at him, a twitch in her forehead indicating her own agitation. "Yes? Is there something that I can help you with? After all, your own help is _always_ wonderful." she said, her voice a little sarcastic. Temna sat back at that, shocked.

"Hey, what did I do? I just tried to help her."

"Yes, you did. But you told her a lie in the process." she said, her voice a low growl.

"How? The only thing I said was, "It's over now". How is that a lie?"

"Because it is never over!" roared Iah, directly into his face. "It is never over for her, because every night, she is going to relive that in her mind! It is hell, true hell, not to just be raped, but to have to accept it when someone you care for's life is at risk! You will never truly understand her pain, her loss, until you have been through the exact same thing! You wish to know why I was forced from my village, dishonored? Because the leader chose to take me as his mate, and I refused. Cruel as he was, he threatened the lives of my entire family if I did not submit to him. So I was raped, just as she was, to save the lives of others. The only difference? He still killed my family after, forcing me to watch. I left my village dishonored, not because of the color of my fur, but because I was too scared to fight back. So do not talk to me about this, not until you know how it feels to be able to do nothing, and lose almost everything." she finished, her voice now a whisper. With that, she turned around and went into the room with Elisia and Sylvia, kicking Audrina out behind her. Audrina made to step right back in, but Temna stopped her with a paw. She loomed down at him, prepared to voice her concerns, but stopped when she saw the somber expression on his face.

He sighed, feeling a little humbled. "Come on. Let's go to our room." Audrina nodded at that, and the two headed silently to their own room, not really ready for the trip they had to make tomorrow.

-!-

 **Well. Told you it would get a bit dark towards the end. I hope you guys enjoyed some of the mild recaps I've written, especially the flashback. I put a lotta work into this chapter, tho I had a lot of help. I'm sure a few of you noticed the different writing style, and I would like to know if you guys like that. A lot was edited by a brilliant friend of mine. Let's just call this anonymous person "Dream Daddy." Anyways, they were a big help, a lot more than they'll ever know. So, if you're reading this, I salute thee.**


	5. Escaping Troubles

**Hey everybody, Cadenceheart117 here with your regularly planned update. ...okay that's a lie, I know this is gonna be a little late. Hopefully no more than a couple weeks though. Anyways, like always, enjoy and never stop reading!**

The walk back to the Dark Army base was fairly uneventful. Temna and his new found mate, Audrina, led the way. They were closely followed by Elisia and her young kit, Sylvia. Well, that wasn't true. Elisia had gotten sick many a time on the walk, much to the detest of her kit and Iah, who had chosen to remain by her side for much of the trip's duration. Temna and Audrina both feared that she had perhaps contracted the plague somehow, but their fears were assuaged when Iah assured them that that was not the case.

"Plague victims exhibit certain signs, Temna." she had said when he asked. "While vomiting like Elisia has been is one of the signs, that is the _ONLY_ thing she is showing. No coughing, no skin discoloration; not even tremors."

That in mind, Temna looked back at the Houndoom. She was fine at the moment, and as soon as they reached the Base, he was sure she and her kit would both be ushered to the medical wing for a proper examination.

Soon enough, the familiar cliff-face marking the entrance to the Dark Army base was in sight. Temna, noting that it seemed rather silent, paused, looking at Audrina, whose mouth was agape. Reason being, the area where the giant slab of rock once sat was gone. Taking note of the numerous jagged rocks and boulders that lay haphazardly around them, he immediately guessed that something very strong had blasted it apart.

Iah came up beside the two, look in her eyes told him that she had gathered much of the same in conclusion. Audrina had a slightly fearful look in her eyes as she scanned the rubble as well. "Something big happened here. Someone broke in." she said, her voice low.

"I don't think so…" said Temna, his eyes scanning the visible area inside the entrance to confirm his theory. Nothing lay inside, from what he could tell. "All the rubble is outside the entrance, not in it. Someone blew it apart leaving. Actually, probably fleeing."

"Why would someone flee the Dark Army? There's no real reason to." said Audrina, rubbing her arm with a claw in thought.

"Only one way to find out," came Elisia, who stepped up beside them. She picked Sylvia up by the scruff and set her on Iah's back, before stepping forwards, and into the entrance. The rest followed suit.

As they walked down the main hall, Temna couldn't help but shiver slightly. So far, the entire place seemed deserted. Not a single pokemon was traversing the halls but them, and the metallic smell of blood hung heavy in the air. When they neared the door to the arena, they could make out the din of voices talking. One voice was louder than the rest, and as they moved closer, Temna realized it was Duke's voice, and he sounded extremely pissed.

" _I wonder what happened this time."_ came Audrina's voice in Temna's head. He looked back at her, lips pursed. " _This time? How many times has something like this happened before?"_

" _A few times, though he's always had patrols out when he hosted the meetings. He's never had everyone there at the same time."_ she said. That in mind, Temna's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and he called back to her out loud.

"Take Elisia and Sylvia to the medical wing Audrina. Iah and I will see what… whatever this is." She nodded in agreement, and turned around to speak to Elisia, who had fallen behind them. Approaching the door, Duke's voice began to grow louder, and Temna and Iah were able to pick up on what Duke was shouting about.

"...-this time. Something needs to, and will be, done about that despicable asswipe. He went too far this time. Devon is a personal friend to many here, and he was an advisor to me as well. Despite knowing this, a quarter of you decided that he had done nothing wrong, and should not have to suffer for it. These traitors, and I don't care if they are male, female, or child, will be killed on sight." He paused for a moment, regaining his breath and looking over the crowd around him. By that point, Iah and Temna were just inside the door, and were both watching silently. Dukes eyes settled on Temna, before his face split into an almost maniacal grin.

"And as for Wolfe… Well, I know exactly how I'm going to make him suffer. Temna, step forward." As one, everyone's gaze shifted to the Glaceon in question. Temna looked around uncomfortably, before taking a few paces forwards.

"How did your mission go?" asked Duke, looking him up and down. Temna figured that normally he'd not have him deliver his report like this, in front of everyone, but he figured it was best to go along with it for now.

"It was a success, I guess."

"You guess?" _Shit._

"Well… when we arrived in the town, we immediately contacted a Gallade who may have known what happened to Elisia. That was a dead end for the most part, but soon after, we ran into trouble. That lead to us discovering Elisia and her young kit being held captive in a warehouse on the edge of town. After a day, we attacked, and managed to free both of them. They're with us now. Audrina has taken the both to the medical wing to be treated."

"They'll have to wait a bit then. Wolfe and the rest of the traitors left quite a bit of people injured or dead as they left. And what of the Captors?" came Duke. The Absol was studying Temna's face as he talked, probably searching for signs of him lying.

"As far as we could tell, there were only two. I killed one of them, a human, myself. The other, a Blaziken, escaped, though not unharmed. Audrina slashed his side open. I'm going to kill him as well later. Personal business."

Duke looked his face over again, before chuffing and nodding once. "Acceptable, though your personal business is going to have to wait as well. Head to my quarters, I will be there in about ten minutes. Everyone else, return to business, and cleaning up the base. Any available healers, return to the medical wing. Nurse Mimi is going to need all the help she can get with the injured. June, prepare and deliver three meals to my quarters."

Temna turned at the calling of the familiar name, and he spied the Braixen he had met not long ago making her way out of the arena. Mentally, he marked a note in his mind to visit her later, and turned back to Duke, who was finishing up.

"And for the love of Arceus, someone guard the entrance. There is a huge hole in the side of a mountain now. Do you think people aren't going to notice that?" With that, the Absol turned and walked over to a cluster of older looking pokemon, likely his lieutenants.

Temna watched everyone file out for a moment, before turning and heading to Duke's quarters. A moment later, he was outside it and, pushing the door open, made his way into the dark room. It was cold inside. The room, dimly lit, was silent for the most part. As he shut the door behind him, he could make out the sounds of someone panting and sniffling to his left. He looked, and to his surprise, there was a female Umbreon laying there on a cloth bedding, her blue rings glowing very faintly.

Temna remained still for a moment, watching the Umbreon with a silent gaze. Both of them seemed to be waiting for something, but neither of them speaking. He coughed once, announcing his presence. She didn't turn to face him, but she did speak.  
"I have nothing to say to you." came her voice, cold and hardened. There seemed to be a quiver behind it, as if she was holding back tears. Temna had no idea what, or who, she was speaking of, but he supposed it was best he make himself known.

"I uh… I don't think I'm who you're talking about." he came, his own voice a little shaky. Why, he didn't know, but this Umbreon seemed… broken. Like she had lost the will to fight. Nevertheless, she rolled over to face him, her piercing yellow eyes settling on his own red ones. They gauged the expressions on each others faces for a moment, before the Umbreon collapsed. Her eyes remained on him for a moment, then lowered as she buried her head in her forepaws. "I'm sorry." she said quietly. "I thought you were someone else…"

"Duke?" Temna said, his voice soft. The Umbreon said nothing, nodding once into her paws. His people skills weren't that great, but he could tell by the slump her body took when he mentioned Duke, that he had hurt this Umbreon in some way.

"My name is Temna. Do you mind sharing your name?" he asked, laying his head down in his own paws.

"I'm Luna. Duke is my… mate." she said, a hint of hesitation in her voice. He was shocked, to say the least. He expected any mate of Duke's to be like him: strong willed, arrogant even. But, not showing it, he instead decided to press a little further. "I see… And… Well, he clearly hurt you Luna… Do you want to tell me how?"

She shook her head, her eyes going down again. "Don't worry about it..." she said, her head turning away from him once more. Temna considered this for a moment, realizing she didn't really trust him enough to share. Not yet at least. "Okay. I won't push you. I'm here to talk if you need to."

Luna made to reply, but the door to the room opened slightly and, on instinct, Temna leapt up, his form twisting in the air as his tail lashed forward, embedding three long shards of ice in a neat line down the door frame. A gasp erupted from the other side of the door, as a feminine voice squeaked out, "Don't shoot!"

Temna's form landed on the ground, his tail already coated in ice to fling another shard, but as the familiar sound of June's voice, albeit more than a little frightened, came forth, it dissolved, leaving a wet patch on the floor behind him. He approached slowly, nudging the door open wide. There were three trays of food lying in a small heap in the entrance, the Braixen in question pressed against the wall opposite the door.

He looked from the trays to her, putting two and two together before sighing. "I'm sorry June. I did not mean to scare you. Are you okay?" June nodded once, her chest still pumping rapidly. "I'm fine. Next time, please, make sure it's actual danger first."

He nodded in agreement, and turned to the plates in front of him. Nudging the few berries that remained unscathed and a few of the lesser squashed ones onto a plate, he picked it up in his maw, before turning around and looking back at Luna. Her eyes were on him yet again, or rather, the berries on the plate he was carrying.

"Hungry?" he asked as approached slowly. But as she stiffened up more, he realized it was probably best not to approach her at the moment. So, he set the tray down, using his paw to push it over to rest against the edge of the bedding. He turned back then, returning to the splattered mess that was the other two trays. June was already kneeling, picking up the squashed goop. The mess obviously displeased her. Most Braixen on the whole prided themselves on the cleanliness of their fur, so when Temna stepped over, freezing the goop and setting it on a tray, she smiled at him, letting out a cheerful, "Thanks Temna!"

He chuckled, smiling back at her as he stepped away. "Anytime, I guess. How are you, June?"

She laughed, using the stick in her hand to rub her scalp. "Aside from my heart racing? I'm doing just fine. Collected the money from the stall and brought it to mom, before making my way back down here. Sad to say, it's a lot worse than it was."

"What do you mean?"

"When I got here, there were still bodies wantonly laying anywhere from the entrance to the arena, and some elsewhere too."

"Did Wolfe cause all this?" questioned Temna. "I mean, it seems really out of character for him."

"Well… I didn't hear it myself, but from what I was told, Duke accused him of leaving one of his lieutenants, Devon, almost completely paralyzed. Of course, that's not the only thing. I heard of another story going around about Wolfe laying with Duke's mate."

He jolted at that, turning around to face Luna, who nodded in confirmation, seemingly not regretting her actions at all. "Personally, I think the stiff kinda deserved it." came June again, who leaned in, halfway glancing at Luna as well. "I would have liked to see my family for another week or so. I don't get to see them often, so Duke pretty much cutting my time in half…"

Personally, Temna was torn. When he looked at Luna, he could see pain in her eyes. Duke had hurt her somehow, far worse than she may have hurt him. And yet, Duke himself seemed justified. Leaving one of his Lieutenants paralyzed seemed rather uncalled for, and Temna supposed he would be just as angry had someone lain with Audrina without his knowledge. _Though,_ Temna thought, _I should probably withhold judgements until I get Wolfe's side of the story as well._

"So, what did Duke say? If the Wolfe I know is the same as when I was young, he would have just passed Duke off, or let him try and beat him up again. Duke would have had to do something completely drastic for Wolfe to really go off like this."

June opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Duke's voice, his tone sharp. "I think I can answer that." The Glaceon and Braixen turned, seeing Duke approaching from down the hall. He stopped in front of them, looking between Temna and June. He settled on June, chuffing once. "Have you got the food I asked for?"

She gulped nervously, looking to Temna for help. He obliged, stepping forwards to face Duke himself. "I accidentally knocked the trays out of her grasp. She was going to go get more, but I struck up a conversation with her, and she got distracted. The berries that weren't ruined, I placed on a tray, and gave it to Luna."

That seemed to strike a nerve in Duke, who growled at Temna. "How do you know my mate's name?"

"She told me herself, a moment ago." he responded, his tone flat. "And she was hungry, so I gave her the remaining berries. Is there a problem?"

Duke said nothing, brushing past him and into the room. He turned, following the Absol inside, who was already staring at Luna. The Umbreon had turned away again, more than likely when she heard Duke approaching, and lay completely still.

"Well?" barked Duke. "Are you going to apologize yet?"

She said nothing, still not moving a muscle. This only served to make Duke angrier, who roared out, "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

"I have nothing to say to you!" she shouted back finally, her quivering voice repeating what she had told Temna earlier.

"You insolent little…" began Duke, stepping closer to her. Temna jumped in then, stepping in front of Duke with a growl.

"Back off, Duke. Whatever you did before was clearly enough, so just leave her alone. You sent me here, so let's focus on why, okay?" Temna was trying to talk Duke down, and fast. If it came to blows, Duke would more than likely beat him, so it was best to avoid fighting him for now.

Duke, though he seemed angered at first, looked back at Luna. His eyes softened for a moment, as if he regret yelling at her. He turned away then, walking towards the door, where June stood watching with bated breath. "Come on Temna. You said your friend was in the medical wing. We'll go check up on her condition."

Temna nodded in agreement, and Duke turned to June then. "Just forget the food. I'm sure the others need help in the kitchen." She said nothing, just placing her stick back in her tail and walking away.

"Geez… I can't please everyone can I?" he muttered under his breath as he watched her go. Temna looked back at Luna for a moment, and their eyes met once more. She seemed to be thanking him silently. His own eyes softened for a moment, and he smiled at her, before turning around and following Duke towards the medical wing.

"So I believe I owe you an answer from earlier. I don't like not knowing answer to something, and I suppose you may be a bit similar." came Duke. They were about halfway to the medical wing at this point, and Duke was more than likely just trying to strike up a conversation for entertainment purposes.  
"The reason Wolfe left the base is because he knew I would kill his young otherwise."

Temna nearly fell over at that statement, instead misstepping. Would Duke really do that? At this point, he was beginning to consider asking Audrina and Elisia to leave with him. He understood that the Dark Army had saved Audrina's life. But if she knew what the leader had just told him…

Duke could see the indecision written plainly across Temna's face, and he held out a paw, stopping them both. "Wolfe forced my hand, Temna. I accepted that he lay with my daughter; that one is more my fault than his or my daughters. I accepted that he shamed me in front of my Army, even. But then he and that other Umbreon nearly killed one of most trusted Lieutenants, and he lay with _my mate_! Can you not agree, I am justified?"

Temna let out a sigh from his nose, slowly releasing some air from within him. Then he looked directly at Duke, levelly saying, "No." Yet another flash of anger appeared on Duke's face, but Temna didn't allow it to go anywhere. "Yes, I suppose you have every right to be angry at Wolfe. But nothing, not even your anger, justifies threatening a kit, much less one that doesn't dictate its father's actions. You're that kit's grandfather! You would kill the young of your young? That's just… _Shameful._ " he finished, spitting the last word with as much venom as he could muster.

At that point, Duke seemed more dumbfounded than angry. Temna scoffed once and walked away, leaving Duke to watch him go.

Eventually, Temna reached the medical wing, and was surprised to see a new, thick wooden door in place. He chuckled, believing that it may be because of the prior incident between him and that Sylveon, Toxy. What didn't surprise him however, was the two human guards posted at either side of the entrance. With recent events, it came as no shock to him that what was more than likely a few dozen injured soldiers would be guarded.

Temna looked at one guard, then the other, noticing after a moment that neither of the two had yet to realize he was there at all, instead both intently conversing with one another.

"I heard they killed that Jolteon, Artul." said one. The other looked astonished for a moment, before he shook his head. "No way. I guarded him while he practiced with that old Luxray. He was learning, and fast. He can't be dead."

"He sided with Wolfe. He was doomed from the start. Duke's going to kill 'em all."

Temna had heard enough by then. He had met Artul once before, and he recalled the near-silent Jolteon being generous enough to go fetch some food for them.

He let out a slight cough, gaining their attentions finally, and suppressed a chuckle as they immediately snapped to. "State your business." said the one on the left.

Temna opened his mouth to reply, but the wooden door between the guards creaked open slowly, drawing everyone's attention. Audrina's head poked out for a moment and, her eyes locking onto Temna, she lunged forwards, grabbing the Glaceon and drawing him into the room despite cries of protest from the guards.

Temna shook his head as he came to a stop. She was a fair bit faster than him, so moving at that speed made him more than a little dizzy. "What was that for?" he said indignantly, his ears still ringing slightly. Audrina said nothing, pointing a claw towards one of the medical beds, where he saw Iah and an unknown chikorita each trying to comfort Elisia, who was crying. Getting the hint, he quickly made his way over to her, pushing his way in beside Iah.  
"Hey…. What's wrong?" he said, placing a paw on her back. She said nothing, but turned to him and buried her muzzle in his neck, continuing to cry. Temna's head turned to the chikorita for an explanation, but the chikorita remained silent, shaking her head and pointing her leaf back at her. Clearly, she believed Elisia needed to be the one to say.

After a moment, Elisia's breathing began to calm, and, though she was still crying, she pulled back and faced him. "Temna… I'm with egg…" she said, her voice hoarse and barely above a whisper. Immediately, his eyes widened, and he sat back on his haunches. Of all the events that had happened that day, this was by far the most surprising.

As much as he wanted to say something, he couldn't. That Blaziken had raped her, and left her with an egg. What was he supposed to do? Vow revenge?

"Elisia?" came the chikorita. Temna's head snapped back to her, watching as she placed one of her short legs on Elisia's. "I'm Cliva. Would you like a blanket?" she asked, her tone soothing. Elisia nodded, and she disappeared, coming back moments later with a red cloth blanket folded neatly across her back. Iah took hold of it with her energy, a sort of black glow enveloping the sides of the blanket as it unfolded, draping across Elisia's back.

"Thank you…" came Elisia, her voice still a whisper. Cliva smiled, shaking her head. "Don't thank me. I'm here to help. Always."

"Miss Cliva? Is she going to be okay?" asked Temna. At that point, he had stood back up again, and he bore a very concerned look.

Cliva nodded. "Please, just call me Cliva, or Nurse Cliva. Elisia should be fine, though I have a couple of… questions, when she is ready to answer."

Iah gave a start, her voice a little annoyed. "I do not think that it is appropriate, nor is it the right-"

"No, Iah… I need to answer her. She's helping me." interrupted Elisia, her voice surprisingly stronger than before. Iah looked at her, a caring gaze in her eyes. She remained silent for a moment, before sighing. "If you feel you are ready…"

"I am…" she said, her voice leading off. Everyone turned back to Cliva, who stood there, waiting patiently, nodding when she realized she was up.

"First things first, a question about you. Are you in any pain, any sickness of any sort?" Elisia shook her head. "Not currently. I threw up a few times on the way up here, but I think I know what caused that…"

"You're correct… Don't let it bother you though, okay? It's normal. Houndooms have a shorter gestation period than many other pokemon, egg-wise. Because of this, vomiting is more common. It means that the young one is healthy." Elisia nodded at that, appearing less nervous than before.

"But that may not matter, depending on how you answer the next question." "What do you mean?" came Temna, confused. If it was healthy, what was wrong?

"I'm a grass type. Like many grass types, I release different pheromones. In case of emergency, we produce one that can… force… the egg out prematurely. If Elisia so wished…" she said, her voice trailing off now. But, everyone understood what she meant.

Elisia stared at her for a moment, before shaking her head. "I appreciate the fact that you'd be willing to do that for me, but… that's like murder. I don't care how it was forced on me… all life deserves a chance. I'm going to keep the egg, and raise the pup as my own."

Cliva nodded, smiling. "I can appreciate that. I want you to know though, I don't like having to do that. I actually only offer it to people in your situation."

"Too bad I don't." came a voice from behind them. As one, everyone turned to see Duke approaching, his voice a low growl. "I'm going to say this once, Elisia. That egg is a mistake. I don't allow mistakes in my base. As soon as that egg is hatched, I'm crushing it myself."

Temna stiffened, his gaze shifting back to Elisia, who now had a look of shock and fear on her face. Duke said nothing more, passing by the group of pokemon to stand by a cot a fair distance away, where a battered looking growlithe lay.

Everyone stared at him for a moment, having no clue what to say. Eventually, Elisia broke the silence, letting out a near silent cry. She had her head buried in Iah's fur, a whole new wave of pain and anguish overtaking her at Duke's words. Temna climbed up onto the cot beside her and sat there, rubbing her back with a paw as she cried.

Eventually, Duke left again, a still silence overtaking the group once more. Elisia looked up and, seeing that Duke had left, turned to Audrina, gesturing for her to come over from her position by the door. She jogged over, a worried expression on her face as well. "I heard what Duke said…" she said, her tone quiet. Elisia looked at her in hope for a moment, realizing she didn't like it just as much. "I don't care what Duke says… He's not laying a paw on my egg." she said, looking down at her belly. Temna nodded in agreement, leaning against her. "Now the question is, what do we do?"

Cliva coughed pointedly, and everyone turned to face her once more. The Chikorita gestured with her leaf towards a guard that was walking towards them from the door. Temna growled for a moment, but stopped when he realized who it was. Candy. The Lopunny came to a stop in front of them, her arms crossed as she smirked at Temna. "What was that about Duke?"

"I said he's not laying a paw on my egg." said Elisia, giving Candy a threatening growl of her own. The Lopunny smiled despite the clear threat, holding up both of her cottony paws. "And I have no intention of helping him. Even I know when people are crazed or have gone too far. I didn't agree with his actions regarding Wolfe. I don't agree now either."

Everyone visibly relaxed at her words. It seemed they had more than a few allies in this situation. "So what do we do then?" piped up Audrina, crossing her arms as she looked at everyone in turn. "She can't exactly leave the base."

Candy let out a chuckle, shaking her head. "Actually, you could. All I'd have to do is request that I serve as an entrance guard tonight."

"You'd be willing to do that for me?" asked Elisia. "Why?"

A glazed look overcame Candy's eyes as she looked down, towards her own belly. She remained silent for a moment, before saying, "Because I know what it's like to lose an egg." Temna wanted to ask more about it, but the look in her eyes pushed him to do otherwise, instead hopping off the cot to brush against her, showing a measure of concern.

She smiled down at him, finally looking up to meet Elisia's gaze again. "I don't want you to suffer like I did."

Iah remained silent for the most part, silently listening to everyone. When Temna's gaze shifted over her again, he paused, recognizing it. "What's up Iah? Everything okay?" She nodded. "I am fine. I am just formulating a plan to get Elisia out in my mind."

"What have you got so far?"

"I am almost done. Elisia and Sylvia will stay with me tonight, as my room is closest to the entrance. Audrina, you and Temna will stay together as well, to make this easier. Candy has already said she would volunteer as an entrance guard. With her help, we can make it outside. My only concern is, where do we go after?"

"That much is obvious. I'll take her to the safest person for her to be around. Wolfe." said Candy, a grin on her face now. "However, you might need to stay behind."

"And why is that?" asked Iah, her face bearing an indignant expression.

"Think about it. Duke trusts you Iah. It's why he let you go with Temna and Audrina on the mission. If you stay, then he's only going to trust you more. Keep you with Temna and Audrina. That's something they can use."

"I do not care. I am not leaving Elisia's side." After a moment, she blushed at her own words, realizing how she sounded. The Houndoom in question on the other hand, smiled, leaning forwards and nuzzling her. "For someone so young, you are rather sweet. Never lose that, okay?"

Iah nodded, her black tail giving a brief noticeable wag. "I am still coming with you though." Elisia chuckled. "I wouldn't expect anything else."

"I take it we have a plan then?" asked Audrina, her arms crossed. Everyone nodded in turn, and Elisia smiled happily, knowing she was among friends.

-!-

As promised, Candy managed to land a job as a door guard for the night. While normally it was one of the more boring jobs, at the moment it was arguably one of the more important ones. Already, the guards had captured and wiped the memories of those who ventured near, even killing Granbull that fought back. Night fell eventually, and everyone was in their places. Temna and Audrina were both asleep, waiting for Iah to rouse them.

Sylvia, though asleep, was being watched over silently by Elisia and Iah. She had been brought to the care center by Audrina, to play with the other kits and pups on base. Needless to say, she was tuckered out from all the activity. Iah and Elisia were both heavily engaged in conversation, passing by the last hour before they fled.

"Iah, what do you expect me to do? Tell her I'm pregnant, and she's going to have a brother or sister?" came Elisia, her tone exasperated.

"That is exactly what you need to do. Better her learn now rather than later, when you have the egg." responded Iah, her tone along similar lines.

"Iah, she knows where and how eggs are made. I taught her that early on. It's something you question when you have to mommy's. Do you honestly think she isn't going to want to know who the daddy is?"

"Then you must tell her that too. She may be young, but as you say, she is no fool. She would find out in the end after all."

Elisia looked down, unsure now. "Even if I did tell her… She might hate the pup…" Iah smiled, placing a paw on her side. "She is a pup herself, Lissy. She will not hate the pup, no matter it's origins.

Elisia gave a start, chuckling. "Lissy? Is that my nickname now?"

Iah's face began to heat up behind her fur. "I- I am sorry. I only meant to-" she began, but was silenced by Elisia, who was pressing her muzzle against the Absol's. Iah's face grew red again, but she pressed into the kiss slowly.

After a moment, the two released the kiss, Elisia smiling contentedly as Iah looked down, blushing even more. "I-is that not moving too fast?" she asked, unable to meet the Houndooms gaze.

Elisia's smile grew a little wider. She remembered a time when she was just like Iah was right then, nervous and shy, unsure. When her old mate, Sherry, was alive, they had had a spark. It had left her when Sherry died in the fire, and for a while, it seemed as if she would never be the same. Now, it seemed that there was new kindling.

"Maybe that was a little too fast…" said Elisia, watching as Iah's head drooped even lower. She smiled, recognizing the sort of puppy-love. "But there's only one way to find out."

Iah's head slid back up. "What do you m-" she was cut off again as Elisia's muzzle pressed against her's once more, their shared kiss longer and more pronounced this time. Iah, who had been standing up at first, fell back onto her haunches, and then onto her back as Elisia stood over her, her muzzle still pressed into Iah's. She pulled back after a moment, smiling down at Iah, who was panting heavily. "L-lissy, what is it you are doing?"

Elisia just smiled, leaning down and nipping at the Iah's horn, triggering a light squeak of pleasure from the Absol. "I'm treating you…"

The Absol looked up at her in a state of pleasured confusion as she pulled back just slightly, beginning to skim down her body. "W-why? What have I done to earn this?"

"You stayed~" said Elisia simply, her muzzle trailing up Iah's leg for a moment, before giving the pad of her foot a single, slow lick. That single lick caused Iah to shiver in pleasure yet again. Elisia looked up at her, grinning more than smiling now. She knew exactly what she was doing to Iah. And she knew just as much that Iah was loving every second of it.

The houndoom leaned forwards, pressing her muzzle against Iah's again, a sort of lover's gaze connecting them. "Be careful," she whispered softly. "You wouldn't want to wake up Sylvia, would you?"

"Wake up Sylviaaaah~" was all she managed, the houndooms head now between her legs.

-!-

"There you three are." commented Audrina, standing up and crossing the hall to Elisia and Iah, the latter of whom was carrying Sylvia, who was still asleep. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry Audrina." commented Elisia, casting a smirk over to Iah, who was looking more than a little flustered. "We got a little… tongue tied."

Audrina looked from Iah to Elisia, let out a "Hah." and turned around, walking towards Temna with a smile. "What's got you in a good mood all of a sudden?" he asked, looking up from his spot in the doorway. "Nothing~" she said, giggling. She leaned forwards, pressing a kiss between the eyes of the confused Glaceon.

He shook his head gently, turning to face Iah and Elisia. Iah was a little less flustered at that point, and she approached first, her gaze cool now. "Are we all ready to go?"

Temna nodded. "Candy is waiting at the entrance. Let's hope we don't run into any guards."

"Agreed."

As planned, they made it to the entrance without a single bit of trouble. Candy, impatient, was hopping from foot to foot as they approached. "My shift ends in five minutes. We have to go now."

Immediately, Iah and Elisia stepped forwards, nodding their goodbyes to Audrina as they passed. Temna however, stopped Elisia at the door. "What's wrong Temna?" she asked, looking around nervously, as if she expected someone to show up at any time. "Nothing Elisia. Just be safe... If Wolfe doesn't recognize you right away, tell him to remember Francis and his little Eevee."

She nodded, nuzzling into him briefly. "I will be fine, Temna. I have Candy and Iah to keep me safe. You however, need to keep yourself and Audrina safe. After he realizes we're gone, Duke is likely to be very mad. And he'll blame those closest to us, which is you two."

"Then why doesn't Audrina go with you? I need to stay, or my reputation gets all of you killed. But she-"

"Would just refuse to leave your side." interrupted Iah, coming alongside Elisia. "You chose a stubborn mate Temna. She will be with you to the end." Temna sighed, looking over to Audrina, who stood, watching them with a silent gaze. Her eyes met Temna's, and the edges of her mouth curled up into a small smile.

What's up? She called to him. He jumped slightly again, shooting her a dirty look. You need to warn me when you're going to do this.

Where's the fun in that? She shot back. And you didn't answer my question.

If you must know, they're telling me how you're never going to leave my side. He responded, giving her a smile. She let out a chuff, the sound resounding in his read. And they are damn right.

"Hey lovebirds. Are you gonna be much longer? We've got to go, and I'd like to be gone before next shift comes." said Candy, her arms crossed. She had three separate colored packs on her back, each one filled to the brim with supplies.

Temna turned back to Elisia, nuzzling her gently again. "I'll do my part. You do yours, okay?"

"When haven't I?" she said, smiling cheekily at him. He rolled his eyes, sighing and stepping back. The houndoom walked past him, joining Iah and Candy by the entrance. She turned to face them one last time, and Audrina joined Temna. "Hey Elisia?" she called. The houndoom looked at her questioningly. Audrina looked from her to the Absol beside her, grinning cheekily. "Vous deux avez l'air mignon ensemble."

The houndoom blushed slightly, but chuckled. "I'll be seeing you Audrina." With that, the trio turned, walking away.

Temna turned to the Weavile beside him, confused. "What was that about?"

Audrina stared at him, realizing he hadn't put two and two together yet. "Temna, I know you've seen a lot dear. But sometimes, you miss what is right in front of your eyes."

He looked back towards the entrance, watching the outlines of his friends begin making their way down the mountain. He watched them for a moment, before looking back towards his mate. She was gone. He started, turning just in time to see her two tail feathers disappearing around the corner.

-!-

"Come on you two." said Candy, pacing ahead of the trio behind her. "Duke thought ahead and posted a guard halfway down the path, so I have no clue what we're up against if we actually run into him or her."

Elisia looked at Iah nervously, before turning to face Candy again. "I'm not a fighter, I'm an information broker. I won't be of any help in a fight."

"That is fine, Lissy." said Iah, looking over at her with a smile. 'If it does come to fighting, I am sure Candy and I can take care of it."

"Don't give us that luck. We might actually-"  
"Hey you!" shouted a voice. "Run… into someone." finished Candy with a sigh. The lopunny turned, bringing her paws up to a fighting stance. Her eyebrows raised in surprise, and after a moment, her paws dropped again.

"Bucke? What are you doing out here? I thought you were guarding around the cafeteria." she said, a surprised tone to her voice.

The familiar Luxray just stood there, looking from the Lopunny to the three pokemon behind her. "I got reassigned here." he said after a minute. "But from what I remember, you got reassigned to being a door guard, of your own volition. What are you doing halfway down the mountains? With Temna's friends no less?"

"Might as well tell you. Perhaps give you the chance to come with us." began the Lopunny, looking at the Luxray in front of her. Or rather, his legs. They weren't tensed, so she was good for the time being. He wasn't prepared to fight them. She wouldn't, however, go as far as to say he trusted them.

"What do you mean?" said the Luxray, his eyes more curious than suspicious.

"Duke threatened my unborn kit." said Elisia, her voice flat. The Luxray's head snapped to her, his mane bristling. "He wouldn't say that. You must have heard wrong."

"Bucke, I heard it myself." said Candy, her voice softening. "You know better than anyone that I wouldn't mishear something like that."

"...So where are you going now?" he asked, his voice growing strained.

"The only place we can go. We're going to find Wolfe." she said, holding out a paw towards him. "And I would like it if you came with us."

Bucke must have stared at the paw for a solid minute, before sighing. "I can't do that Candy. And I can't let you go either. Look… Just come back to base with me. Duke will understand… he always played favorites with me and you."

The paw Candy held out to him dropped, and she let out her own sigh. "If that's the way things must be. Guess there's no other way out of this."

She took her normal fighting stance, her paws held low as she bent her legs. Bucke let out a low growl, crouching low himself as he pawed at the dirt under him. He began to circle her slowly, his eyes pinned on her motions. Candy slowly rotated in place, watching him with just as much care.

Bucke, as a Luxray, was guided heavily by a sense of honor. He would protect those he cared about with a fierce passion, and would fight those who would seek to do them harm with an equally fierce passion. He also believed in a fair fight. Candy and Iah however, did not.

As soon as Bucke made a half circle, his back was to the Absol, who he presumed would guard the Houndoom and Eevee with her, leaving him to fight Candy alone. This perspective quickly changed as three waves of bright violet energy slammed into his back in rapid succession. He growled, his mane visibly glowing with electricity as he turned, sending a thunderbolt towards Iah.

Unfortunately for him, this is exactly what Candy needed. She shot forwards, stopping and leaping up just before she would have ran into him. Her leg kicked out midair, smashing into his side and sending him careening into a tree. He shook his fur, standing up again quickly as he spit, a glob of blood landing in the dirt next to him. Candy made her way towards him slowly, knowing he would be more cautious now. Iah did not advance, putting herself in between Bucke and the Houndoom and Eevee behind her, one of which was surprisingly still sleeping.

Candy and Bucke rushed each other once more, smashing into each other with a sickening crack sound. Bucke, though he was much larger than the Lopunny, was clearly holding back. He did not want to hurt her. Candy, though she did not want to hurt him either, held no such reservations. Her abdomen visibly strained as she wrapped her arms under his forelegs, lifting him bodily up.

She held him there for a moment as everyone watched, shocked at her display of raw power, before she spun, slamming Bucke into the ground, back first. He wheezed as a snap resounded from his side, the oxygen knocked out of his lungs. She threw a leg over him, straddling the downed Luxray as she grabbed him by his neck scruff. Her paw drew back, balling up and taking on a silver sheen as it practically pistoned forwards, smashing into his face over and over again. His head seemed to bounce from her fist to the dirt and back again. After a moment, she slowed to a stop, shaking her paw slightly as she stepped off of him. The Luxray did not move.

Candy sighed, looking down at his prone form and giving him a nudge with her foot. "Well, he's not dead. I wasn't hitting nearly hard enough to break his thick skull. But we should get moving before he wakes up again."

Elisia and Iah nodded in agreement, before turning and beginning to run down the mountain alongside Candy. They had a lot of ground to cover if they were to catch up to Wolfe.

-!-

"Temna. Get up, it's time we talked again."

The Glaceon sighed, sitting up and stretching. Not long after he had helped his friends escape, he and Audrina had made their way back to her room, and, though she teased him some, promptly passed out.

He turned his head, looking at the Weavile beside him. She was still sleeping, with a thick blanket draped over the two of them that he crawled out of after a moment. He couldn't help but find her light snoring adorable, and it didn't help that she lay in such a revealing position.

After a moment, he sighed, turning back to the voice that spoke. Duke. Much to Temna's surprise however, he didn't seem mad. Only knowing, and somewhat annoyed. Duke looked from him to Audrina, taking a single sniff before turning and walking out of the room. He left it open, clearly intending for Temna to follow him out of the room.

Five minutes later, the two stood in front of Duke's quarters once more, Temna noting that Duke had even replaced the door, as the current one didn't bear the same notches that Temna had caused.

"Do you know why I called you here?" asked Duke, looking at Temna out of the corner of his eye. His voice was calm, almost friendly even. Though, Temna doubted he actually housed any sort of the latter.  
"To arrest me for treason, and more than likely kill me?" came Temna, looking back at him. The Absol let out a chuckle, pushing the door open with a paw. "I've wanted to kill you on many occasions. I nearly had you killed after questioning, but Luna talked some sense into me. But no, that is not why you're here. If I really wanted you dead, I'd have killed you while you lay there sleeping."

Temna followed him in, looking around. Luna lay in her spot, seeming to not have moved at all. However, there was another female Umbreon there, this one lying on a small pillow fidgeting nervously. She eyed Temna once as the two walked in, but quickly looked away. It didn't take much for Temna to realize she didn't want to meet Duke's line of sight.

"Temna, you know Luna. This is my daughter, Cordina, and part of the reason I called you here."

Temna looked her over slowly, noting a very familiar mark on her shoulder. Her cool blue rings didn't glow much brighter than her mother's, though, Temna supposed, she was still a very beautiful Umbreon.

"I'm glad you approve." said Duke dryly, noting the look in Temna's eyes. He turned back to face the absol, who was now seated at a small table, a piece of parchment and a quill in front of him. Temna walked over, looking at the paper. Much to his chagrin, it had yet to be used.

"Temna Ice." snapped Duke, drawing the Glaceon's attention. "Your actions, however defiant…. Were necessary." Mentally, Temna grew very confused at that. Duke had said he was right? Why?

"I was not in my right state of mind at the moment. Even I know I shouldn't threaten the life of an unborn. Now, for the reason I called both of you here." He said, eyeing both Temna and Cordina in turn. She began to shake as her eyes met his, clearly more than a little scared.

"Temna, you stood up to me for what was clearly the right reasons. I have use for someone who can stand up to me for the right reasons. Or rather, my daughter does."

At this point, he was a little nervous himself, but Duke was clearly waiting for a reply, so he steeled his nerves. "And what would she need me for?"

"As a possible mate."

 **Aaaaaand done! Betcha didn't expect that ending, huh? I know, I know, I'm a master of planning. There were many parts on which I got severely stuck, but with a little help, I got right out of it. Listen, I know there aren't many of you who read my story, but it seriously makes me happy that you do. Even you, people who read but have yet to follow or favorite me. These past couple of months have been particularly hard on me, that being not limited to just personal situations, but a major fallout among friends. But seriously, with all said and done, I couldn't have done this without many people's help. WolvenRepublic, TheGreyOne, and quite a few others. Aurumn, buddy, you were the biggest help of all. Kept me going when I was down, listened to me when I was angry, and flat out left me chastised when we both knew I was wrong. Thanks man, I hope you can continue to put up with a troublemakers antics. You're the leader of our little ragtag group of writers, and personally, a life saver.** **Thanks to all, have a wonderful day/night, and remember, never stop reading!**

 **(P.S. it may be a while before my next update. My next step is to rewrite Chapters one and two. The transition from first to third person is killing my view count XD)**


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